Has anyone used KeySavvy? They say they are actually a licensed dealer which helps the transaction since they actually buy and then sell the car in the transaction. Interesting model. I presume that would also put them on the hook somewhat if there was fraud on the part of the seller.

https://www.keysavvy.com/how-it-works

 

Agree with above suggestions that you start taking legal action ASAP. FTC complaint would be a good start. If you can swing it, hire a lawyer to file complaints against all the individuals and entities you can identify in the scheme. The legal complaints themselves are not complex. You could find examples of other fraud complaints and adapt. The filing costs can mount up, though.

And did you contact your bank yet ?

 

There's ways to track the scammers. PM me.

I won't disclose the methods to track them here so that any scammers reading this won't know how to thwart detection next time.

Sorry this happened to you. Let's see if we can track these guys down and get your money back.

 

I'm sorry to hear about this terrible ordeal...I do congratulate you on being in the financial position to wire $170k sight unseen. When it comes time to part with my $170k, they practically have to pry it from me even with the car right there in the dealership lol

 

KeySavvy was excellent. I was selling, and buyer from the other side of the country suggested KeySavvy which has a ton a positive reviews from RLers. Funds are not released until the buyer instructs KeySavvy to release funds.

 

Hearing this makes me so angry! I'm sorry about your situation and hope that there is recourse for your loss. I wish you the best and please dont give up!

 

Kudos for sharing. I think most of us if honest have trusted at times when we perhaps shouldn't have. Follow the money and file suit against the wire receiving bank to begin with. It may not be a number that gets the FBI's attention but $170K is plenty for Federal Court jurisdiction in the District closest to your home. The bank may well not be liable but a good aggressive lawyer can conduct discovery to get the records necessary to reveal the identities involved--at some level there has to be a social security number or tax ID tied to wherever that wire went. You don't need the feds to extract your pound of flesh-- although it would be great if they were prosecuted at some point after your lawsuit . Good luck.

 

Thanks for sharing, hope you got your money back. They could have got me if the asking was say 200 instead of 170

 

You are very right my friend. There are a few details I did not put in the post to keep not too long. But I was totally blinded by the excitement and fell completely into the trap they set for me.

 

THIS! I almost got scammed for a pair of 993 hardback sport seats last month. Luckily, my instint told me NOT to paypal $3500 as "friend and family" using credit card. A real and honest seller wouldn't haggle over the paypal fee and it's well worth the protection with CC.

 

Hey so this exact scam happened to us as well on July 24th but for $57,000.00 for a 2013 Porsche 911 Carrera. We've filed a police report, FBI report, reported it to both our bank and the receiving bank. They used Tim Hudnall's Auto Sales, also a small dealership in KY, who when we called said someone had hacked him months ago. I'm convinced this is the same scammer.

 

I am sorry to hear that! I hope you can get your money back!

 

Oof, so sorry to hear this. In the future, you could

- Ask for a copy of the dealer's license, just like they ask for a copy of your driver's license.
- Ask for your contact to do a video call with the car and go over the VIN plates, details, etc.
- Get a PPI and have the 3rd party verify the dealer/contact.
- Find different phone numbers for the dealership and call them to try and connect with the other staff.

Wish you good luck in getting your money back. Hope it works out for you and thanks for the warning post.

 

I had a similar experience earlier this year. I was looking into buying a 997 turbo and found one in Idaho....at this dealership called Flagship Motors (3610 Garrity Blvd, Nampa, ID 83687). I called the dealership about the car and ask for more details (e.g., more pics, paint meters, window sticker). The seller even produced a short walk-around video clip of the car and copy of title. So we worked out a deal and here is where it starts to get iffy! I wanted a PPI but the seller said he was too busy to schedule one; however, he had another customer did a Lemon Squad inspection but backed out and can provide a copy of that report. He sent me a copy of the report and it looked legit. Next, the seller wanted a downpayment to keep the car (10% of the price of the car, which was about $12K) wired to him. I asked for the name/account of the bank that I am going to wire it to and it was Chase Bank but had a weird account name that didn't resemble the dealership name (Flagship Motors). I told him I can't send him the downpayment; it'll be either a full payment or no payment. The seller agrees and sent me a bill of sale so I had my bank sent him a physical check with UPS to the business address in Nampa, ID. I then called the seller and told him the check was on its way and asked when will he shipped to the car. Here's the biggest red flag.....he said he had already shipped the car. Growing suspicious, I did some more research and found out that the description of the car (per the window sticker provided by the seller) didn't match what VINAnalytics showed. I immediately called my bank to stop the check from going out but it was too late, as it was already in UPS' hand. Next, I had to complete a 'cancel check' document with my bank so that even if it was cashed, it would be voided. When UPS tried to deliver the check, the address led the driver to an empty parking lot. Obviously the dealership had been closed for quite some time. I called the seller to have some nice words but he never picked up his phone again. I reported the incident to the local Nampa PD and the officer said she's familar with this type of scam and that the dealership has been closed for a long time.

In all, luckily I didn't lose any money in this scam but learned alot from it. Every document, videos, and pics the scammer provided looked legit. Completely professional work. If I had wired the money, it would've been gone.

Btw, here's the information about the dealership (scammer):
Flagship Motors
3610 Garrity Blvd, Nampa, ID 83687
GM: William Brown
Website: www.flagshipmotorsautosales.com
Tel: 208-344-5442

I believe the scammer used the real name of the owner of the dealership.

 

Wow, thank you guys for sharing these warnings. I almost lost out on 140k from CNC Motors through a consignment sale back in March of 2020, so I definitely know how this feels. Will continue to be cautious in these purchases.