Miami Shores Business Owner Embroiled in $12,000 Boat Scam
A Miami Shores man is facing serious charges after allegedly defrauding a customer out of over $12,000 in a boat sale that never materialized. Ricardo Ulrich Deuker, 43, who also operates under the name Ric Ruthenberg, has been accused of organized fraud and grand theft.
According to authorities, Deuker's Up Boats LLC accepted a wire transfer of $11,299.50 plus $1,160 for shipping from a buyer on June 17 for a vessel that was supposed to be delivered in July. However, repeated delays and unreturned messages led the buyer to cancel the order in October, with no refund ever issued.
The victim initially reported the incident to the State Attorney's Office, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Better Business Bureau before contacting Opa-locka Police. Detectives revealed that this is the second time Deuker has been arrested in a similar case involving the same scheme.
Deuker was taken into custody and transported to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where he will face felony charges. The incident serves as a reminder for consumers to exercise caution when dealing with online transactions and to research companies thoroughly before making purchases.
A Miami Shores man is facing serious charges after allegedly defrauding a customer out of over $12,000 in a boat sale that never materialized. Ricardo Ulrich Deuker, 43, who also operates under the name Ric Ruthenberg, has been accused of organized fraud and grand theft.
According to authorities, Deuker's Up Boats LLC accepted a wire transfer of $11,299.50 plus $1,160 for shipping from a buyer on June 17 for a vessel that was supposed to be delivered in July. However, repeated delays and unreturned messages led the buyer to cancel the order in October, with no refund ever issued.
The victim initially reported the incident to the State Attorney's Office, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Better Business Bureau before contacting Opa-locka Police. Detectives revealed that this is the second time Deuker has been arrested in a similar case involving the same scheme.
Deuker was taken into custody and transported to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where he will face felony charges. The incident serves as a reminder for consumers to exercise caution when dealing with online transactions and to research companies thoroughly before making purchases.
i mean $12k is like, whoa, thats crazy how did he even get away with it 4 so long?? prob cuz ppl dont no how 2 report these thangs or somethin. u gotta stay vigilant online n all, do ur research, read reviews, n stuff like that. cant let ppl like dis take advantage of others 
just heard about this guy Ricardo Ulrich Deuker and it's wild how many times he's pulled the same scam 
2 times in 1 year? that's some bad luck or bad karma, idk 
either way, gotta give it to him, he's good at taking ppl's money 
$12k is no joke tho, hope he gets the max sentence 
anyone got a friend who knows someone who works in law enforcement? 
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. But no, instead he just takes the money and runs, leaving a trail of broken dreams and ruined finances. It's just not right, man 
! I feel bad for the guy who got taken advantage of, poor guy's still waiting for his money back 
. As a consumer myself, this makes me wanna do my research even more before buying anything online 
. These scammers think they can just take advantage of people like that? Not on our watch! 
. I mean, come on, $12k is a lot of money! And the fact that he's done this twice already? Like, what even is wrong with him?! 
I mean, $12k is a lot of money, and he's just taking advantage of some poor guy who was super excited about buying a boat. It's just so unfair 
. And what really gets me is that he's done this before, like, twice! So, not only did he scam one person, but now he has to deal with the consequences for doing it again 
. Let's all just be more careful and look out for each other when we're making online purchases 
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... like how many times does this guy have to get caught? 
. Anyway, hope he gets some quality time at the correctional center... his "business" is probably going to be closed down soon 
gotta keep an eye on those online transactions cuz u never know wat's gonna happen next 
. My advice to people buying stuff online? Be super careful when making payments and make sure you're dealing with legit companies 
. It's not worth losing that kind of cash over some slick talker 
. anyone else have a horror story with a scammer? 
. It's crazy how some people can scam their way to financial ruin, leaving innocent buyers in the lurch. I think he'll get the max sentence possible, maybe even do some time for this one... doesn't seem like he was too bright, always running schemes and getting caught 
The problem is that these types of scammers prey on desperate people who just wanna own a boat already. I mean, who doesn't love the idea of owning their own vessel? But it sounds like this guy took advantage of someone's enthusiasm and got away with it for months!