Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
You are about to hear a feature that was created
to expose the scammers, thieves, and con artists among us.
The dialogue and temperament about to be used by Hollywood
Hamilton does not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of iHeartMedia.
This is Fraud Friday.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
This week, on Fraud Friday, we're going to be covering
what's called the reverse car sales scam. Now, this particular
of scam is a tactic used by fraudulent buyers who
trick a private car seller into thinking that their car
has severe engine problems, right, and then what they do
after they establish that wait, this car is no good,
(00:40):
then they pressure them to sell the vehicle at a
drastically reduced price, giving it the reverse car.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Sales scam title.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Samantha, Director of Operations, can you elaborate a little bit
more on this reverse car sales scam?
Speaker 3 (00:54):
Anything else you want to add?
Speaker 4 (00:55):
Absolutely, We've got Celeste on hold and basically what happened
was it's a perfectly fine used car she's selling, and
these guys are praying on legit buyers and they will
mess with the engine while someone's not looking.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
It's crazy. Who were talking to her name is Celeste. Hi,
Celesti you're there.
Speaker 5 (01:14):
Hi, Hi Hollywood.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
Yeah, so so glad to talk.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
I know you had to wait a little bit, you know.
We got a lot of people in line. Every Friday
we do frod Friday and this one. I love doing
things when it has to do with the automobile. One
has to do with car salesmen or local car lots
or so on and so forth.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
So what's your story.
Speaker 5 (01:34):
My story is that my father, elderly, he has a
two thousand and nine rap four. It's been in the
garage for years because he can't drive anymore, you know,
so he finally said, let's get rid of it. So
I decided to go on Facebook and put it up
for sale, and I said, you know what, it's kind
(01:54):
of old, but let's get like maybe three thousand dollars
for it because here it's two great condition, you know
what I mean, everything is right.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
What's the going rate, Samantha for this car? Can you
look it up for me really quickly? On that exactly
and wrap fours? I know they're very popular. People love
them and they're sought after.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
Right.
Speaker 5 (02:16):
Yeah, yeah, it's a cute car.
Speaker 4 (02:18):
So the going rate for two thousand and nine to
Iota REP four varies, of course depending on condition in mileage,
but somewhere between four thousand and eight thousand dollars.
Speaker 5 (02:27):
So I get a DM from this guy named Ray.
We're going to meet at the diner because I don't
want this guy to come to my house. Right. We
meet at the diner and I bring the car and
he says he's interested. Can he test drive it? So
I stay with his car, you know, because I'm not stupid.
And he takes my car and he drives it, and
(02:49):
he comes back and he says, oh, there's engine problem.
There's something wrong with the engine. I'll give you five
hundred dollars and I'm like, I'm already giving it to
you for three thousand. What do you mean five hundred?
The car was smoking, spluttering, It was nothing like when
and I drove it. And then I called my guy, Julio,
my mechanic, and I said, you need to come over
(03:11):
and check out my car.
Speaker 6 (03:13):
What did the mechanics say when you showed it?
Speaker 5 (03:15):
The Julio tells me, are you ready for this? That
someone put oil in the coolant reservoir. That's where you go.
Speaker 3 (03:25):
The reverse car sales scam right there. That's it.
Speaker 6 (03:27):
That's what made it smoke.
Speaker 5 (03:29):
I told them I'll get back to you on this,
and I'm really sorry I haven't told him yet.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
Where's the damage to the car, Samantha? So they just
they just flushed it.
Speaker 4 (03:37):
They flushed it, and it's okay, right, they flushed the
oil out of the coolant.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
How much are we asking for? What are the damages?
What are we asking for?
Speaker 7 (03:44):
Well?
Speaker 8 (03:44):
How much did it cost the mechanic to flush out
your coolant system?
Speaker 5 (03:49):
Two hundred and twenty five dollars?
Speaker 3 (03:52):
Okay?
Speaker 8 (03:52):
And Celeste, was there any permanent damage to your car from.
Speaker 6 (03:57):
The cell thing?
Speaker 5 (03:58):
No? Thank god?
Speaker 3 (03:59):
All right? So what am I going to threaten him with?
I need something to threaten him.
Speaker 5 (04:03):
This is what you're going to threaten him with. I
had my girlfriend sit in the diner. We got the make,
model and the license plate of his car, So you
got all right?
Speaker 3 (04:13):
All right, that's something there, gotcha?
Speaker 8 (04:15):
Right? Good?
Speaker 6 (04:16):
Good thinking?
Speaker 3 (04:17):
Do we do we have a full name? Do we
have a full name? No?
Speaker 5 (04:20):
I do not have his full name?
Speaker 3 (04:22):
Okay, what else? Sammy got the Anthony Marie? Any other ideas?
Speaker 5 (04:27):
He had a beagle in the backseat.
Speaker 7 (04:29):
Dog?
Speaker 3 (04:29):
Oh, he had a dog with him. He had a dog.
He had a dog with him. Okay, there is another threat.
Looks like I think that's enough for us to go with.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
All right, all right, so let'st here we go Fraud Friday,
the reverse car sales Scam.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
You're listening to Fraud Friday with the k t U
Morning Crew. We'll be right back with part two when
Hollywood and Marine make the call. Buckle up because things
are about to get rough.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
Hi.
Speaker 6 (05:00):
Yeah, I'm calling for Ray.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
This is Ray.
Speaker 8 (05:03):
Hi, Ray. My name is Rosalie. I came with my
girlfriend to the Crosstown Diner. She's trying to sell a car,
and I went with her. Do you remember my friend Celeste?
She had a RAB four. She's wondering if you still
want the car. She's asking for three, which I think
is pretty reasonable. You know, it's really I know, I.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
Know the car. Look.
Speaker 7 (05:25):
Look, the best I could do is five. Five is
more than three, but I will only do five hundred
in the car was smoking at the time of driving.
Speaker 8 (05:34):
Okay, sir, if I could, if I could just interrupt you,
uh for just.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
You already have?
Speaker 6 (05:40):
Are you gonna go any lower than three thousand? I
will go.
Speaker 7 (05:43):
Lower than three thousand. I will go five hundred max.
And at this point, I'm considering we've.
Speaker 8 (05:49):
Got to go up higher. Gotta go up higher from five.
How about Okay, she's asking for s.
Speaker 7 (05:54):
She can ask for whatever she wants. She won't get
anything for that piece of crap the hit?
Speaker 2 (06:00):
What?
Speaker 5 (06:00):
What?
Speaker 6 (06:00):
What did you say?
Speaker 8 (06:01):
He was wrong with the I'm sorry, Ray, if I
can interrupt you again, I'm sorry.
Speaker 3 (06:05):
What would you do?
Speaker 8 (06:06):
Let me just ask you, since you're an expert, what
would cause a car to smoke like that? What would
be the problem?
Speaker 7 (06:13):
The engine of that car was clearly old and had
clearly not been used in a long time. Now it
was pausing immense smoke. It looked like the engine was
leaking oil on the right side. Now, I will continue offering.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
This five hundred dollars for that guy.
Speaker 7 (06:31):
I will not exceed any other What do you have
a team member backing you up five hundred dollars?
Speaker 6 (06:36):
Is he's not going to exceed five hundred dollars.
Speaker 7 (06:39):
I will not be exceeding that five hundred dollars price.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
Why would he's a criminal?
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Well, it seems like what happened with old Ray there
he took the car for a little test drive, and
then he poured oil down the radiator.
Speaker 6 (06:50):
Oh, he wouldn't do that, would he did?
Speaker 3 (06:52):
He pour oil down the radiator? There?
Speaker 6 (06:54):
Ray?
Speaker 3 (06:57):
Who are you?
Speaker 2 (06:59):
My name is Sean ham On, a private investigator here
in the Bronx. I am representing a client of mine
who happens to be on the phone right now.
Speaker 3 (07:06):
Celeste, Will you come on the phone with us really quickly?
Speaker 5 (07:09):
Yes, I'm here.
Speaker 3 (07:11):
Can you identify Ray's voice?
Speaker 2 (07:12):
Is this the character that took your car for a
test spin, brought it back and it was shambles?
Speaker 3 (07:17):
Was this the guy that's him? Yep? No, Ray, Ray, Ray, Ray,
calm down a little bit.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
There's a lot of issues going on right here, and
we have reason to believe that you tampered with the
car when you took the car for a test drive.
We almost know that for a fact, and CELESTI I
want you to tell Ray why you know that?
Speaker 3 (07:34):
For a fact? Ray, stop talking. You're in a lot
of hot water.
Speaker 5 (07:43):
There was oil all over my cool and substacle that
you poured. You much so I know that you tampered
with my car. Then you have the nerve to come
back and say that you're gonna pay me five hundred
dollars for a car that I was offering to you.
Speaker 3 (07:59):
Well, low price, you much?
Speaker 7 (08:02):
You're moron?
Speaker 3 (08:03):
All right, right, listen to me, Ray, You're in a
lot of hot water right now.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
Okay, Samantha, get me Detective Peterson at Precinct forty fifth
for me.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
I'll get him on the phone right now. You got it?
All right?
Speaker 2 (08:12):
Uh, listen to me, Ray, My client actually took the
car in to have it looked at immediately after you
allegedly poured oil either in a receptacle or down the
radiator of her car, which caused it to smoke up.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
And then that's how you low Boulder with this scam.
You got caught. You got caught. Is the detective on
the phone? Is the detect I've got him standing by,
all right, I want to talk to him right now.
All right, here's the deal.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
Your license plate is g X eight decrect Ray, that's
your license plate number.
Speaker 7 (08:43):
How did you get my license plate?
Speaker 3 (08:44):
Don't worry about how I got your license play. Do
you also have a dog? You have a dog that's
a beagle? Right? You owe this woman two hundred and
thirty dollars. She took it to a car mechanic.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
The mechanic has identified you to tamper with the car,
causing the car to fail. Basically two hundred and thirty
dollars to fix the car. You tried to lowballer on
a scam called the reverse car sales scam.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
We know what you're doing, Ray, How did you get
my license? I told you not to worry about that.
You're in a lot of hot water right now.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
Either you're gonna pay my client backer money right now,
or we're gonna come on top of you like a
ton of bricks. We're getting ready to call the Consumer
Financial Protection Bureau. Christopher Ray, Federal Bureau of Investigations not
to mention the forty fifth precinct not too far from
where you live.
Speaker 7 (09:31):
What do you mean you know where I live?
Speaker 3 (09:33):
Okay, Well, you owe two hundred and thirty dollars to
my client? Yes or no? Are you gonna do this?
We want you to sell the money right now back.
Speaker 7 (09:39):
To our I don't have Zell, I have Venmo.
Speaker 3 (09:42):
All right, Venmo the cash right now while we're on
the phone. We need you to do it right now.
Speaker 5 (09:46):
Nine seven seven five.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
Right.
Speaker 4 (09:52):
This is what we're gonna need you to do right now,
go ahead and open up that Venmo app and let's
get this money head of time.
Speaker 5 (09:57):
I don't hear the whole phone number nine one six
one tour.
Speaker 8 (10:04):
You got the number, Ray, send the money.
Speaker 7 (10:08):
I am sending the money.
Speaker 3 (10:10):
Good, good, good, Ray.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
I'm gonna tell you something right now. We're we're not
ratting you out, but we have an eye on you. Okay,
we have an eye on you. We have a positive identification,
we have your obviously, we have your license plate. We
know a little bit about where you live. Yeah, money,
when you receive the money, let me know it. When
you receive the money.
Speaker 6 (10:29):
Yes, it came.
Speaker 5 (10:30):
Okay, I got it.
Speaker 6 (10:32):
So now people can watch on me that he's damn
he's not going to be scamming.
Speaker 3 (10:35):
Pretty now.
Speaker 6 (10:36):
They're on to you.
Speaker 5 (10:37):
Ray, absolutely, Thank you so much, guys, God bless you.
Speaker 3 (10:41):
Yes he got he hung up. Okay, Yeah, he's got
he hung up.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
Have you been a victim of fraud? Have you been
taken by a scam? The Hollywood Hamilton Show and the
KTU Morning Crew would love to hear from you. Text
us at six nine five, that is six nine three five.
This is fraud for I Day