Durango couple reports fraud; ‘supplier’ absconds with savings intended for coffee shop
A couple of entrepreneurs from Durango have reported falling victim to an alleged fraud involving 185,000 pesos. They had saved for months—including by working in the United States—to purchase coffee shop equipment that, despite being fully paid for, was never delivered.
Abraham Núñez Sánchez recounted that he and his partner met Miguel Ángel, a barista from Torreón, during a training course the latter conducted in Durango.
He explained that the instructor had also offered workshops at the Universidad de La Laguna and runs a YouTube channel titled De la Idea al Espresso (From Idea to Espresso).
After the training concluded, the barista offered to sell them the equipment needed to open a coffee shop. After considering the proposal for several months, they decided to launch the project and began raising the necessary funds.
To do so, they traveled to the United States for work; once they had finalized the purchase agreement with Miguel Ángel, they made several deposits until the total cost of the equipment—185,000 pesos—was covered.
However, problems arose when they returned to Durango to set up their business. Abraham noted that they tried to contact the seller to arrange for the equipment’s delivery, but the man stopped responding to calls and messages.
“He started ignoring our messages; he wouldn’t answer our calls, and when he finally did answer, he told us to do whatever we wanted, but that he wouldn’t deliver the equipment or the money,” he stated.
Faced with this situation, the couple filed a criminal complaint in Durango. However, they reported that staff at the State Attorney General’s Office informed them the process could be prolonged because the accused resides in a different state.
Consequently, they decided to publicize the case to warn others about the alleged fraud. They even traveled to Torreón to look for the business where Miguel Ángel supposedly operated, but the establishment was gone; according to the couple, the business has changed its trade name and address several times. Abraham Núñez added that they had also made contact with individuals from Coahuila, Sinaloa, and Chihuahua who claim to have fallen victim to the same person through a similar scheme: first, he conducts training courses and builds trust among participants; then, he offers to sell them coffee shop equipment, collects the money, and ultimately fails to deliver the products.
“We are making this public statement because a formal complaint has already been filed and we hope it moves forward, but we also want to prevent this person from defrauding more people, as he continues to come to Durango to hold workshops and offer equipment,” he concluded.
Source: elsiglodedurango
