'I Think They Knew': Dealership Sells Man A Stolen Vehicle. Then He Tries To Get A Refund

A dealership owner is outraged after he learns that a vehicle he recently purchased from another dealer was stolen. Here is what happened when he tried to get a refund.

TikTok creator PSYchoa (@isaianyeq4r) is an account that appears to repost car and other content on its page.

A recent video it posted featured a clip from a video by YouTube personality and luxury car dealer George J. Saliba. Saliba is with the New Jersey-based car dealership called J&S Autohaus.

What Happens When He Tries to Get a Refund For The Stolen Car?

In the clip, Saliba and his crew are confronting an employee from another dealership that they say sold them a stolen vehicle that was later seized by police. The issue appears to be that the other dealer genuinely didn’t know the vehicle was stolen during the transaction, and they don’t want to take financial responsibility by refunding Saliba and his company for the car.

Saliba says, “You're gonna send us the money back for sending us a stolen vehicle.” The guy on the other end of the line asks for time to resolve the situation, but Saliba and his crew insist he wire the money back. “We're a victim of the same exact thing,” the other dealer says.

Saliba and his crew aren't buying it. “We bought this car from you,” one of his associates says. “You told us the car was good. The car was stolen, and it was fraudulently titled.”

How Does A Stolen Vehicle Get Sold To A Dealership?

In the full video, Saliba gives a breakdown of how the situation happened. He says that when the car came in from the other dealership, they learned that it had been VIN swapped and the title had been forged.

VIN swapping refers to moving the vehicle identification number from one vehicle to another. Not only is it an illegal practice by itself, but it is also a way for a person to sell a stolen vehicle and get away with the proceeds before the discrepancy is noted by authorities. 

A Reddit user posted to r/used cars last year about a similar situation. The person said they purchased the used vehicle and later took it for a dealership service. The dealership determined that the vehicle had been stolen and assigned a “ghost” VIN to cover it up. According to the user, the vehicle was impounded by authorities after he reported the fraud.

What Happens If You Buy A Stolen Vehicle?

The purchase of a stolen vehicle is extremely unfortunate for the unlucky buyer. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, a vehicle with a counterfeit VIN tag is known as a “cloned” vehicle. Once the fraud comes to light, authorities will confiscate the car and take it back to whoever legally owns it. And, yes, if this happens, the buyer is completely out whatever money they spent on the vehicle.

The NICB recommends conducting a title search of the vehicle, analyzing the ownership panel for any new or late-model vehicle the seller claims is “paid off,” and—if possible—asking an insurance agent to inspect the vehicle before closing the deal.

Motor1 contacted Saliba via email for comment. We will update this story if he responds.