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I have a friend who recently sold a car for $600.00 dollars . It is listed as being sold for the body only.All engine issues have been clearly stated on the bill of sale to the "so called buyer ".
Well today my friends got a knock on the door from the sheriff's department that they are being sued .
Apparently the "so called buyer" Posed as my friends and sold this same vechicle for $2,000.00 to someone else. The"so called buyer , now seller who posed as my friends" " did not make the issues aware to this new buyer. Now the new buyer is sueing my friends.
Have any of you guys heard of this scam or type of scamming being done ? If so ? How rampant is it and who is doing it ? Is it something that crime groups like gangs, gypsies, or Irish Travelers do ?
I am especially concerned about this because I will be selling an older van that is soon to be at "mechanically totaled stage" where the cost of a major repair is more than the vechicle is worth.
Thanks for any information on this .
Last edited by go falcons; 05-01-2011 at 02:55 PM..
Reason: spelling
If the sale was done legally, titled transfered from your friend to the person they sold it to, they have nothing to worry about, a police investigation should be able to figure out what went on.
I have a friend who recently sold a car for $600.00 dollars . It is listed as being sold for the body only.All engine issues have been clearly stated on the bill of sale to the "so called buyer ".
Well today my friends got a knock on the door from the sheriff's department that they are being sued .
Apparently the "so called buyer" Posed as my friends and sold this same vechicle for $2,000.00 to someone else. The"so called buyer , now seller who posed as my friends" " did not make the issues aware to this new buyer. Now the new buyer is sueing my friends.
Have any of you guys heard of this scam or type of scamming being done ? If so ? How rampant is it and who is doing it ? Is it something that crime groups like gangs, gypsies, or Irish Travelers do ?
I am especially concerned about this because I will be selling an older van that is soon to be at "mechanically totaled stage" where the cost of a major repair is more than the vechicle is worth.
Thanks for any information on this .
Happens all the time. Seller signs off on the title, buyer never titles or registers the vehicle and drives it until the wheels fall off, then abandons it, seller gets a bill from tow lot. Or the buyer sells it to some unsuspecting suckers, or runs up $2000 in parking tickets, or whatever.
With a bill of sale it should be pretty straightforward. At some point the seller had to interact with the "so called buyer". The "so called seller" would be someone else, not your friend. Maybe the original buyer used his or her real name on the bill of sale, which would put a stop to any problems.
I would think if your friend has the paperwork stating what you say when he sold it then he has nothing to worry about. Get your friend to counter sue the dummies for missed work and parking.
Honestly, once your friend sold the car he should be exempt from any responsibility of the car. Who's to say the new owner didn't do something to the car to make it's condition unsafe?
And I'm sorry if I didn't follow it right because your post was confusing to me. But why are they coming after your friend and not the guy who bought the car from your friend?
My van broke down in death valley and I had it towed to a garage in Baker California. The Tweakers at the garage could not fix it, they were too tweaked out. So I left the van in the junkyard they had behind the shop, disabled the ignition, took the license off and took the keys and let the Tweakers keep the van for junk.
Well fast forward about 18 months and I have a ding on my credit report for a towing company charge. It seems that the Tweakers somehow got the van running and took it out joyriding....of course it broke down and got towed.......and I guess I was responsible.
Moral of the story is I should have sent in the change of ownership form.......and never trust Tweakers.
That's why it's important to write out a bill of sale. A lot of people sell a vehicle and all they do is sign the title over. That person can then do what he wants, if he doesn't file it and register it, you are still the legal owner and are responsible for the vehicle. The buyer can claim, "I didn't buy no car from you?" So make sure you write out a separate bill of sale, have the buyer sign it, check their ID and put all the information on the Bill of Sale. Then give them a copy and hang onto yours.
Gangs, gypsies or Irish Travellers? What the hell kind of guess is that?
Because these groups are known for running scams to bilk unsuspecting people out of money in lots of ways.shop lifting, construction scams, congames, you name it ...The area of the U.S we live in, these groups being smart enough to figure out new ways to rip off people - is a very real threat.
Many years ago, my little brother pulled the same thing on me....I sold (or gave him, I think) an old beater car...he never registered it in his name, at some point it broke down and he abandoned it somewhere and I ended up getting a bill for towing and impounding. Somehow I got it worked out and didn't have to pay; I can't recall details.
One avenue you can take: meet the buyers at your local Secretary of State or whatever they call it where they register cars in your state. Do the transaction there, including having the buyers register the vehicle in their names at the time of sale. You can do this in Michigan. That way when you get the money and hand over the keys, you know for sure the vehicle isn't registered in your name any more.
Edit: also what ElkHunter said! Have separate, signed bills of sale.
In California, you sign and date the title when the car changes possession, and YOU send the paperwork in to the DMV. Once it's signed and dated, you're free and clear.
I also make two copies of the Bill of Sale so both parties have one, signed by both parties.
Had something similar happen a few years ago. A shop I was working at did all the work on a regular customer's motor home. The guy decided to sell his MH, so he brought the buyer by so we could tell him all we knew about the MH. The owner gave the guy a business card and told him he would be glad to do his future work.
A week later a sheriff came in looking for the boss. The new buyer had an accident and told the police he didn't have his drivers license, but here's my business card..! you guessed it, he gave the cop the boss' business card..! I never heard if they ever caught up with the guy who pulled the scam..!!
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