If you’re in the market for a used car, you might want to pay attention to the sad story of a North Texas YouTuber named Nic Luna of the “Nic Lunatic” channel.
He found his dream C7 Corvette – a 2019 Black Rose Grand Sport coupe – and sealed the deal on Valentine’s Day, a fitting day to pick up a car he had fallen deeply in love with.
Unfortunately, soon afterwards, the love story became a tragedy when the Dallas County tax office couldn’t transfer the title into Luna’s name because the car had actually been stolen.
Luna had paid about $20,000 less than market value for the car, giving the seller his life savings of $35,000 for the beautiful Grand Sport, which was in immaculate condition inside and out, including its Kalahari leather interior.
![[VIDEO] Texas Corvette Buyer Gets Scammed with VIN Fraud](https://www.corvetteblogger.com/images/content/2024/050324_4b.jpg)
“I test-drove it,” Luna explained, noting that he texted back and forth and then actually met up with the seller at a gas station in Dallas, saw the car, got the VIN and ran it, and texted him the next day that he wanted to buy it. “Everything appeared to be good.”
Until it wasn’t.
Luna had just fallen victim to a very sophisticated scammer who had provided photos showing the VIN on the title matched the VIN plate on the dash and VIN stickers in the door jamb, edge of the hood, and even under the trunk liner.
“It’s a real Texas title and, somehow, they pull off the old ink and then they re-stamp it,” Luna said, explaining the process behind the crime to an NBC5 reporter.
![[VIDEO] Texas Corvette Buyer Gets Scammed with VIN Fraud](https://www.corvetteblogger.com/images/content/2024/050324_5b.jpg)
A closer inspection then uncovered a different VIN in the metal frame of the car, revealing that the car had been reported stolen in December 2023. Police came and towed the Corvette away, and now Luna can’t get in touch with the man who sold him the car that had been advertised on social media.
“It feels horrible, you know?” Luna says. “The car is gone, my life savings is gone.”
How can you avoid such a dilemma? Doug Sisk with the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department suggests meeting the seller at the local tax office to transfer the title before paying.
![[VIDEO] Texas Corvette Buyer Gets Scammed with VIN Fraud](https://www.corvetteblogger.com/images/content/2024/050324_6b.jpg)
“You always want to verify it and go to a tax office and do an immediate title transfer,” Sisk says. “That way, you know if you have a legitimate car.”
The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles points out that this is helpful to sellers, too, as they can be held responsible for tickets, toll violations, or crimes committed with the vehicle if it remains in their name after a sale.
Another hint from the DMV – ask an individual seller for past financing and insurance references.
One thing to keep in mind, though, is that stolen vehicles are moved quickly, so the registered owner may not even realize it’s gone or it may not be flagged as stolen yet in the system.
Sisk suggests that if the price of a car is too good to be true, you should be skeptical, something that’s hard to do when someone is super-excited about getting his dream car.
Luna’s seller had “a whole story behind” the low price for his Corvette. “He said he was going into back surgery and he already had a back surgery. He actually lifted up his shirt and showed me a scar.”
For more tips on avoiding such a scam, check out this story posted by NBC5 in Dallas-Fort Worth.
Source:
NBC DFW / YouTube
Related:
[STOLEN] 2024 Corvette is Stolen During Brazen Dealership Raid
[STOLEN] Car Thefts Surged Nationwide in 2023
[STOLEN] Sacramento Man’s C6 Corvette Racecar Wearing No.75 Stolen Along with Truck and Trailer
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Yup… too good to be true… I feel for the guy, but with scammers today, it’s worth double checking everything.
Isn’t the CarFax supposed to tell you this info?? My god I hate people.
Damn, awesome color too. It sounds like he did everything he was supposed to do, pro’s at work here. And it’s Texas.
My banker told me yesterday about some bank customers that got scammed for some large money. They had checks stolen in the mail and the thieves are using some chemicals to change the name and dollar amount on the check and cashing them. He said it’s known as “white washing” and is getting worse by the month. The scammers are everywhere today.
Man that is a super sharp looking C7 Grand Sport. I really hate it for the dude that he got screwed over big time but he should have had enough sense to know that there’s no way that you can buy a Corvette like that for only $35,000.
Something definitely ain’t right….Black Rose wasn’t available in 2019, only 2017 & 2018.
More and more cartel criminals crossing the border every day. These invaders are very sophisticated with all the phone, email, and auto scams. The less savvy ones just break into your home or rob you on the street. The idiots in government just want to disarm you and defund the police.
RobC.. Here we go!…..Let’s blame the border, the “Cartel”, The Gov’t & The Police…all without 1 shred of evidence!! Buckle Up Butter-Cup and enjoy the Ride!
Don’t ever write checks! Had one stolen in the mail to pay a credit card bill. It got washed and went from 1800.00 to 7800.00 got cashed at a check cashing place. Bank got my money back but it was a mess. On line banking only for me.
Have to agree with Robert above. This guy should have known something wasn’t right when the cost of the car was only 35 grand.
Justice prevailed in this particular case, shouldn’t we feel happy for the legal, rightful owner?
Conversely, I do have compassion and feel his regret, for Mr. Doug Sisk, but, his life savings.
An old idiom (proverb) from the 16th century “A fool and their money are soon parted”.
In other words, that a foolish person spends money too quickly on unimportant things.
Please note: Car buyer should spend no more than 10% of their take-home pay on a car loan payment and no more than 20% for for total car expenses.
Many thanks,
Ray
Ol Yeller, you spotted the one dead giveaway. The title says 2019 but, as you pointed out, Black Rose was only available in ’17 & ’18. Buyers beware and always do your homework.
The Carfax should have pointed out the VIN being a 2019 to match the title but, I’m not sure if Carfax addresses the color.
I agree with Robert and klw, that is an awesome color. I looked for 2 years to find a Black Rose ’17 or ’18 in the Pacific NW. There were only 1535 total in that color made for both years. I got lucky and found a totally loaded ’17 Z06 with Stage 3 ground effects. I paid twice that and still got a deal.
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