Man loses $1000s buying new truck as DMV alerts him to ‘something odd’ – he wishes he never ignored red flag during sale
In a complex Facebook Marketplace scam, a man was defrauded of thousands of dollars for a car.
After the victim learned that a car she had bought on Facebook Marketplace was stolen, deputies in Eagle County, Colorado, which is located roughly 136 miles west of Denver, raised the alarm about the internet scam.
According to Eagle County Sheriff officers, the man’s issues began when he came across a pickup vehicle advertisement on the marketplace of the social media site.
According to deputies, “the victim… ultimately flew to Houston, Texas, to make the purchase,” KKTV, a CBS station.
“They paid cash for the truck after meeting with a real person to exchange the documents, which at first glance seemed authentic.
“The seller stated that the other key fob was lost and that they only had one.
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The victim proceeded with the transaction without encountering any problems with the alleged missing fob.
The man returned to Eagle County with his new pickup vehicle, but when he attempted to register it, problems started to arise.
The new owner was advised to seek an examination to confirm the vehicle identification number (VIN) by inspectors at the Eagle County Clerk and Recorder’s Office after they detected anything strange about the car’s title.
“The initial inspection revealed the VIN numbers on the title matched all of the VIN information on the vehicle, inside the doors, on the dash, and even under the food,” claimed the deputies.
“Even the license plates matched, and the name on the title reverted to a real person.
But after looking more closely, our investigators found that the titles had been altered.
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“This means the scammers had removed information from the car title illegally and altered it,” said the authorities.
“He also discovered the license plates had been cloned, which means they were replicated from a legitimately owned car and then used on a stolen car.”
When deputies inspected the truck, they also found a tracking device concealed inside that the thieves use to follow the new owner.
“After working with law enforcement in Houston, our detective learned the truck in question was stolen in late November, and an insurance payment has already been made to the original owner,” officers from Eagle County stated.
“The truck will now be retrieved by the insurance company that legally owns it.”
Deputies claimed the man lost thousands of dollars, although they did not provide the precise amount the victim paid for the car.
Deputies cautioned about the risks associated with using Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace.
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According to Eagle County Sheriff officials, “trust your instincts if you see a deal online that seems too good to be true, especially if it might be listed below market value.”
“AVOID USING CASH. Make use of guaranteed funds by using a payment option that provides fraud protection or verified checks.
Bank tips for avoiding scams
Because artificial intelligence is being used to make frauds more sophisticated, it’s critical to understand how to recognize a scam:
- Be skeptical of online deals that seem too good to be true, especially on social media.
- Scammers will often use tactics to make you panicked so you make quick decisions – be cautious if you are told to take immediate action and verify who has contacted you.
- Chase Bank warns customers to “never return any unexpected funds without calling Chase first.”
- Never send money to someone you have only spoken to online or by phone as this is likely a romance scam.
- Unless you 100% know who you are talking to, never give someone remote access to your device.
- Never accept help from strangers at an ATM and always be vigilant when making withdrawals.
- Do not send money or click any links indicating that you have won a prize.
Source: Chase.com
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