PARADISE VALLEY, Ariz. — It's a scheme that could land any driver in trouble without them knowing about it until it's too late.
People duplicate legitimate vehicle VIN numbers and then use that information to put a lien against that car to get cash at loan agencies.
That's what happened to Hilary Huntley's parents who were selling their Chevy Silverado truck in June. Her mother was recently in the hospital and they needed money to help pay the medical bills.
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"They are just trying to shore up their end of things,” Huntley said.
They put the truck for sale on Facebook marketplace and Autotrader. Her parents found a buyer and both went to the MVD to get the title transferred. That's when the worker told her dad, he actually owed money.
“My dad said, 'No we most certainly do not. I own this vehicle outright,' and they said, 'No there is a 12,000 dollar lien.'”
A lien he never knew about.
“He was shocked and he was very upset,” Huntley said.
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It turns out someone other than her father somehow obtained the VIN number and then created fraudulent documents to get the truck into their name. Including a bill of sale with Huntley's father's signature which she said was forged. One document was even notarized to make it look as legitimate as possible.
"He had all of the right stuff," Huntley said.
The person then took this to a title loan company in Phoenix and put a lien on the truck they never owned. Documents show the person received $4,000. Another document claims the loan went into default leading to a repo notice being put on the vehicle.
"What worries me is that it could just happen to anyone and you just, you don't know until you go to do something with that vehicle," Huntley said.
12News obtained the documents that reveal the suspect's license, pay stubs, and four references. We are not revealing the person's name since they have not been charged with any crime in this case.
However, calls were made to the suspect's phone number which was provided in the documents. The phone number was disconnected. 12News also called the four references that were listed. Two of the numbers were disconnected. One person did answer, but said they were not the person whose name was listed.
Huntley's parents are now in talks with ADOT's fraud department but said they are still waiting for an investigator to get back to them. Meaning, for now, they have to sit and wait.
"That title is still sitting there with a lien against it and my folks are stuck," Huntley said.
A representative with ADOT didn't comment on this specific case but said for those who want to sell their car, they should sell it directly to a local dealership to prevent important information from being leaked. They also said people can check their title status anytime on the MVD's website.
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