Lake Zurich man sold RV he didn’t own on eBbay, police say

A Lake Zurich man who used eBay to auction a motor home he didn’t own was arrested and charged with theft after police said he failed to deliver the vehicle.

Randy Looke, 44, of the 500 block of Peach Tree Lane, was charged with felony theft. He was arrested Wednesday.

Using the alias Andy Lo, Looke tried to sell a 1997 Forest River Reflection motor home in October 2011, Lake County sheriff’s police said. A Texas man won the auction with a $16,700 bid and sent Looke a check that cleared in November 2011, but the vehicle wasn’t delivered.

That’s because Looke didn’t own the RV, sheriff’s Sgt. Sara Balmes said. As Looke was taking bids on the vehicle, he was trying to purchase it through a different online auction, she said.

That other auction was postponed, Balmes said, and Looke never got the RV.

“It was never in his possession,” she said.

The Texas man complained to authorities there in 2012, and they contacted Lake County sheriff’s police earlier this month. Looke’s sound and video consulting business in Deer Park was somehow connected to the eBay auction, Balmes said.

Looke was arrested at the business, she said. His bond was set at $10,000, and he is scheduled to appear in court April 18.

People who shop online should ensure the seller is reputable before sending payment, police cautioned. Online shoppers should also keep documentation of purchases, police said.