Yeah exactly what I thought^^... sucks that he got fkd hard like that! Worse scam I've seen.. The guy came up on a built STi wtf!

 

There's something very wrong with this story. There should be no waiting for finances for a lawyer, a lot of lawyers would do this on a contingency. There's evidence that the kid knew it was stolen because of the dealer thing (how did the guy find out about that anyways?) That should be a slam dunk for an arrest.

Also it doesn't make sense that he had to declare bankruptsy ovecr losing a car that he paid caxh on top of. He shouldn't be losing any money, just loss or use of a vehicle.

 

the kid was told the day before he traded it that it had a fake vin. i dont think people will go through the process of finding a clean vin plate of an identical car that has a clean car fax to hide that they got in a fender bender. there is no way he didnt know it was stolen at that point. knowingly being in possession of a stolen vehicle is a crime, and i'm pretty sure selling/ trading a car you know is stolen is also a crime. the kid probably found out it was stolen, freaked out knowing the police would take it and tried to clean his hands of the entire situation

 

Yes, the kid is ****ed, there is no question about that.

HOWEVER, if there is no bill of sale stating that it was a trade, all the DMV papers say is that the title of the STi was transferred for $x (I know state of CA at least requires a transaction of at least a dollar). If they just signed each others' titles over, the Jeep sale will be separate from the STi sale, meaning the Jeep being stolen doesn't negate the sale of the STi.

 

I think he crossed a state line to meet up for the trade so that's the FEds job now....group buy to get the scammer some lube, it's jail time lol

 

I can't remember how he found out that it was taken to the dealer, but he did find where it was taken and called the dealer. They have agreed to testify on his behalf that they told the 'kid' that it was stolen. I dont know why they didnt just hold on to it and call the cops though.

As for the bankrupcy, cant get a home with his fiance, etc, I dont get that part either.
I think the jeep seller should stop selling parts and return the STI to the guy. He would be out the jeep also since its been sold at auction already (by the posts) which I dont understand because it should be evidence in an ongoing investigation...but he needs to go find the guy HE bought it from (if he indeed did buy it legit and didnt know it was stolen when he traded it to the STI owner) Thats the person they need to be going after, assuming the kid is innocent. Remember, this is all allegation.

 

Don't get the bankruptcy either but he was also able to transfer (or whatever it's called) his STI loan to the Jeep. I don't know how that works and why he still has the loan if the car has been taken. As far as the dealership telling the 19yr old about the invalid vin, the "new" owner found a work order in the glove box that aparently said the vin was invalid or something like that. I thought when it was mentioned the first time the he found out by someone telling him about the 19yr old throwing a fit at the dealership. So the "new" owner has written proof that the 19yr old knew it was stolen and the dealership said they'd testify. As for the whole police involvement, I don't get why now law enforcement will get involved. The guy that got scammed claims he's having a hard time getting a lawyer because he's in MA and the other guy is in NY, something about getting a lawyer licensed in both states that will take the case is the hard part. The parts that bother me is that the scammer won't say how much he paid for the Jeep and when the scammed guy tried to contact the owner before the 19yr old, that guy immediately told him if he's having any issues with it, he's not responsible for anything or wants anything to do with it. That is not a good sign IMO.

 

My guess on the bankruptcy is that he owed money on the STI and it sounded like he traded the STI + CASH for Jeep. All of this points to the guy took out another loan to cover the owed money plus the cash for the jeep.

Jeep is now gone. The guy has the loan. Due to the bankruptcy he can't buy a home so he has no house, probably no real assets. Bankruptcy is the fastest way out of the financial mess.

Personally, a built STI + cash for the Jeep was the first mistake (regardless of need, he could have parted or sold the STI). The next bad move was to file for bankruptcy. There is a very good chance he will win criminal and civil lawsuits. Worst case scenario he gets his STI back and still has the loan (he is out the cash part of the transaction). Best case the kids is stuck with STI and the loaned is also transferred to the kid. The scammed person is now debt free and car free which is a nice reset.

 

damn, no not Felipe, but yeah he used to have a 500hp WRX and now has a SRT8, talk about a coince'

BTW, Felipe is FTR'sWRX here, one of the GST peeps, you've prob met him.

 

This. How is the scammer still breathing?

 

Maybe I skipped over some of the posts and missed something.

But the person buying the jeep... No title? How/why would you buy a car with no title?
And if stolen... There's obviously no title?

Correct me if I missed something.

 

Exactly!!! Title should have the name of the actual owner! Match that up with a ca. DL...thats always a must. You dont just buy a car from a random person without the actual owner there.. sketchy i say..sketchy...

 

Screw that, he doesn't deserve lube.

 

Ya I don't get that part either

 

Had a real title, carfax checked out clean and vin's matched. He didn't even have an issue registering it. It was when he went to get a key made that he found out the vin was wrong and the truck had been stolen in 2008. It basically had a vin from a clean titled SRT8 over the original vin.