It is a sophisticated crime that is on the rise in North Texas.
Car buyers are being duped out of thousands of dollars because crooks are selling stolen cars using titles that look very real but aren’t.
In a matter of days, Kristina Forrest went from feeling lucky to have found a great deal on a new car, to talking to police about giving it back.
“Angry. Frustrated. I guess kind of disappointed in myself,” she said.
Forrest is out nearly $8,000 after falling victim to fraud that began through an online market place.
“[I] found a really good deal on a newer model car,” she remembers. “Price seemed a little too good to be true but back and forth conversation and I felt super comfortable.”
She met the seller in person, test drove the 2016 Nissan Maxima and carefully eyed the car title he handed her.
“It looked legit but I did want to see if there was a seal or a watermark so I held it up to the light and was able to see a Texas seal in the middle.”
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Forrest handed over $7,600 cash and received a receipt of her purchase.
However, when she tried to register the car, she was told the title was a fake.
The name on the title did not match state records, neither did the address.
Turns out the car was recently stolen.
“The car was stolen from a dealership in Carrollton which I was surprised because I have a key,” said Forrest.
Walter Clifton is a detective with the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office assigned to the North Texas Auto Theft Task Force and is investigating this case.
“Some individuals came in to do a test drive and left with the keys and took the vehicle,” he said.
Det. Clifton said more and more buyers are falling victim to this type of crime so he showed NBC 5 what to look for during transactions.
“Real, fake, washed,” he said pointing at three titles. “They look real to the untrained eye. The paper’s going to be different. The font’s going to be different.”
“You’re going to see the two seals and you see the state of Texas in the middle,” he said holding one title up to the sun.
So-called ‘washed’ titles will often include the two state seals but they also have a white outline where legitimate data has been erased and typed over, he says.
Forrest now finds herself out of thousands of dollars and carless.
The single mother of two now fears she’ll lose her job after moving to Dallas two years ago to start fresh.
“It’s devastating. Disappointing to be out here already alone and putting myself in this position and this situation,” she said. “I had no clue I was driving around in this vehicle this whole time with my kids in a stolen car.”
Forrest has started a GoFundMe hoping to raise enough money to buy a new car.
The North Texas Auto Theft Task Force also says if you’re looking to buy a car:
- Ask for the VIN number
“If you’re a legit seller you’re going to provide me the VIN number so I can do my due diligence with the car,” said Clifton.
- Meet at the tax office
“[Say] meet me, we’ll go into the tax office together right now and do all the paperwork,” advises Clifton. “If they don’t want ot meet you there then that’s a problem.”
- Be cautious of prices that are not aligned well with the market value of the vehicle.
- Never pay cash.
- Call the North Texas Auto Theft Task Force at 214-653-3430 to verify vehicle information.
