A vehicle purchased through Facebook Marketplace was discovered to be stolen after the buyer attempted to transfer the title in Lamar County.
On July 31, detectives with the Northeast Texas Auto Theft Task Force (NETXATTF) were contacted by the Lamar County Tax Assessor’s Office after a citizen presented what appeared to be a fraudulent vehicle title.
Detectives responded and learned the individual had purchased a 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray through Facebook Marketplace for a large sum of money and was provided a fraudulent title for the vehicle.
Upon further inspection, detectives discovered the Corvette had fraudulent vehicle identification numbers (VINs). Investigators were able to determine the vehicle’s true VIN and learned the Corvette had been reported stolen out of Austin, Texas.
The vehicle was seized after investigators confirmed it was stolen.
Authorities are using the incident as a warning to those considering purchasing vehicles through online marketplaces.
“Unfortunately, scams like this happen every day,” NETXATTF said. “Avoid online marketplaces to purchase vehicles if at all possible. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”
