FRAUD FRIDAY: Used Car Parts Scam

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
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, so.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
Let's take a look at this one.

Speaker 3 (00:21):
We got Alyssa on the phone with us and it's
the used car parts scam, part two on this week's
Friad Friday.

Speaker 2 (00:27):
Alyssa, are you there, I'm here.

Speaker 3 (00:29):
Alyssa's out of Staten Island. Alyssa, tell us what's going on?
Why you want to be on Fraud Friday?

Speaker 2 (00:34):
What's happening?

Speaker 4 (00:35):
I actually emailed you guys like six weeks ago.

Speaker 2 (00:38):
I'm I know, I know. We're a little sorry that
you want to take that one out. Well, processing as
fast as we can.

Speaker 3 (00:48):
Yeah, it's a it's a very popular feature we do here.
Tell me a little bit about this now. Your husband
alerted you to the fact that you were looked like
you were taking advantage of there in Staten Island.

Speaker 4 (00:58):
I took the car in, I bring it home. He
checks it and he's like, what the hell did you
just pay for this?

Speaker 3 (01:05):
Is crap.

Speaker 5 (01:07):
Why why did he say that?

Speaker 4 (01:09):
Well, I took my car in for a tunea. It's
running way rougher than it was when I brought it in,
So I have my husband look at it. These are
not new parts. You just wasted our money.

Speaker 2 (01:23):
Okay.

Speaker 4 (01:23):
I have a Chrysler PACIFICA.

Speaker 6 (01:25):
Okay, I fit my whole life in that car and
it's not running right.

Speaker 2 (01:31):
She would know it, she would know it, all right.

Speaker 3 (01:32):
So Alysa, what Alyssa does? It says on the letter
in order to get on the show, you told your husband.
Your husband went out in the front you already popped
the hood and he looked down. And it says here
that it looked like it was a huged oil filter.
A used air filter that this mechanic used used spark plugs,
of all.

Speaker 4 (01:51):
Things, the spark plugs, the air filter.

Speaker 5 (01:55):
Very sneaky, very sneaky.

Speaker 3 (01:58):
This is running rampant in the city right now. This
whole used car parks scam. Is you know a lot
of mechanics are doing it. They're trying to get away
with it right now, and they are getting away with it.

Speaker 5 (02:08):
And it's to be honest, How do you know what
is clean? And what looks good when you open up
the hood to me. I look at it and I go, okay,
it's an engine. It's greasy and dirty.

Speaker 3 (02:19):
Right, Well, you're not gonna know. You're not going to
know unless you take the filter. You know, you take
it out of the car.

Speaker 2 (02:24):
Take a look at it and the air filters.

Speaker 4 (02:28):
My husband looked at it. It was used, not new,
like soak in something. They had tried to clean it off.

Speaker 3 (02:35):
When they try to soak it in some sort of chemical.
Never good for an oil filter. It's not good for
the engine. Just to get the thing clean. A lot
of people think, well, I'm just gonna dip it in
the you know, some mode.

Speaker 6 (02:46):
So that was her.

Speaker 5 (02:46):
Old oil filter, maybe that he tried to clean and
he put it right back into her car. Oh, that's terrible.
It's really taking advantage of people. That's horrible.

Speaker 2 (02:56):
All right.

Speaker 3 (02:57):
His name is Leo, and uh we're going to get
Leo on the phone. We're going to shake him up
a bit, and we're going to try to get your
money back. Now, speaking of money, how much money.

Speaker 2 (03:07):
Are we talking about? What was the total of the
tune up?

Speaker 4 (03:10):
Five eighty six dollars, that's what I am.

Speaker 5 (03:14):
Oh, that's a chunk of change right there.

Speaker 2 (03:17):
All right.

Speaker 3 (03:18):
It also says in the letter that you don't listen
to the show as a friend that turned you on
to Fraud Friday. Here, let's see what we can do.
We have an eighty percent success ratio on getting people's
money back. Before I get into it with this Leo guy,
let's say he gives you half. Would you accept half?

Speaker 4 (03:33):
Absolutely not?

Speaker 5 (03:34):
Would you accept him replacing all the parts and doing
it correctly?

Speaker 4 (03:40):
I mean, why would I trust this guy? Absolutely not?

Speaker 2 (03:43):
All right, I'm with Melissa. I agree to ask.

Speaker 1 (03:45):
You're listening to Ford Friday with the KTU Morning Crew.
We'll be right back with part two when Hollywood and
Marie make the call. Buckle up because things are about
to get rough. Welcome back for part two. This week's
Fraud Friday.

Speaker 5 (04:07):
Makes on the camp you.

Speaker 2 (04:09):
I is Leo thereon? Can I speak to Leo?

Speaker 4 (04:12):
Who is it?

Speaker 2 (04:13):
It's Sean?

Speaker 1 (04:14):
Okay, this is Leo.

Speaker 5 (04:24):
Hi Leo. My name is Marie and I am looking
to see if you could help me with my car.

Speaker 1 (04:32):
Okay, what kind of car do you have?

Speaker 5 (04:35):
Jeep Cherokee twenty nineteen.

Speaker 1 (04:38):
Uh huh, it needs.

Speaker 5 (04:40):
A tune up for sure. I just want to make
sure it's safe. I'm in Tottenville, Oh perfect, Yeah, that's
where my shop is. So what do you think that's
gonna set me back?

Speaker 6 (04:52):
You know those Jeep Grand Cherokees, they're not easy to
work on, you know, they eight cylinders, get big vehicles.

Speaker 2 (04:59):
They you know, it takes up a lot of rooms
in my shop.

Speaker 4 (05:01):
Right, it's not going to be cheap.

Speaker 5 (05:03):
It's not sounding good.

Speaker 6 (05:04):
Why do you think you need a tune up?

Speaker 7 (05:05):
Is it running funny?

Speaker 3 (05:06):
Or what's going on with the car?

Speaker 1 (05:08):
Well?

Speaker 5 (05:08):
No, I think it's due for a tune up. I
haven't gotten a tune up in a while, so that's why.

Speaker 3 (05:14):
Okay, yeah, it sounds good.

Speaker 6 (05:17):
What was your name, Marie?

Speaker 3 (05:18):
Yes, Marie?

Speaker 1 (05:20):
You're going to bring the car in yourself or you're
going to have your husband bringing.

Speaker 4 (05:23):
It for you.

Speaker 5 (05:26):
No, no, I'm I'm divorced, so I'll be bringing it
in myself.

Speaker 6 (05:30):
Ah okay, yeah great great.

Speaker 5 (05:32):
Why do divorce women get a discount?

Speaker 6 (05:36):
No, No, we don't.

Speaker 5 (05:37):
I'm just kidding.

Speaker 2 (05:38):
No, I'm not.

Speaker 4 (05:39):
Yes, I what you look like?

Speaker 5 (05:42):
So what do you have you thought about giving divorce discounts?
Because that could go a long way.

Speaker 2 (05:48):
Well, you know, a divorced woman is like an old boat.

Speaker 4 (05:51):
You got to see it first.

Speaker 5 (05:53):
Oh oh hey, oh okay, alrighty, No.

Speaker 1 (05:58):
I mean just to roll it in to the shop
and me to look at it. You know, it's gonna
cost you some money, because are you're talking about.

Speaker 5 (06:05):
Me or my card? After hours?

Speaker 3 (06:10):
Before iurs hours?

Speaker 2 (06:15):
Okay, yeah, So what do you want to bring the
car in?

Speaker 3 (06:19):
Well, you could probably bank on any of our from
eight hundred to one thousand dollars with this guy.

Speaker 2 (06:22):
Yeah, probably, you know what I mean. Listen to this guy,
and I'm sure.

Speaker 5 (06:26):
I'm not have to leave it overnight.

Speaker 2 (06:28):
Come on, it's probably gonna be there two weeks.

Speaker 5 (06:30):
Yeah, rightly.

Speaker 2 (06:32):
Oh yeah, Leo, Yeah, who's this? Hi Leo.

Speaker 3 (06:37):
My name is Sean Hamilton. I'm a private investigator here
in New York City. I have a woman on the phone.

Speaker 2 (06:41):
That's Marie.

Speaker 3 (06:42):
Marie works with my office. Okay, hold on, give me
a minute, give me a minute. Okay, hold on, I'm
gonna explain everything to you in just a second. Marie
works with us here at the office, and I've got
a woman by the name of Melissa Alyssa.

Speaker 2 (06:51):
Are you there I'm okay, Alyssa, can you identify this voice?
This Leo? Is this the man that you have a
problem with?

Speaker 5 (06:58):
That's Leo?

Speaker 3 (06:58):
Yeah, okay, Leo. Alyssa is a customer of yours. She
brought her car in and there's been a big problem there.
What used parts?

Speaker 2 (07:08):
Okay?

Speaker 3 (07:08):
Now she's hired this Okay, hold on, Leo, she's hired
this private investigating firm to ask you a few questions
before we take action.

Speaker 2 (07:16):
Now, you can either hang up on me right now,
or we can work this out.

Speaker 1 (07:20):
I don't know what she's talking about.

Speaker 5 (07:21):
We already talked about this.

Speaker 2 (07:23):
Okay.

Speaker 3 (07:23):
You charge your over five hundred dollars for apparently what
looks to be and we have pictures in our possession
right now. A used oil filter, used air filter, used
spark plugs.

Speaker 2 (07:35):
We don't even know if the oil is real or not.
But this is a problem.

Speaker 1 (07:38):
Leo.

Speaker 2 (07:38):
You have been caught.

Speaker 5 (07:39):
Since she brought it to you. The car is not
running the way it used to be.

Speaker 2 (07:44):
I don't know. Do you own the shop, Leo?

Speaker 6 (07:47):
Yeah? My shop?

Speaker 3 (07:48):
Well, get ready, either she gets her money back right now,
or I'm going to call the Federal Trade Commission. I'm
going to call the state Attorney General's office. I'm going
to call the Better Business Bureau, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau,
the FBI.

Speaker 2 (08:00):
I'm gonna go on and on with lists. Is gonna
make your head spin.

Speaker 3 (08:03):
It's gonna be a lot, gonna be a lot of
problems for you and your business unless we could settle
this before I go to the agencies.

Speaker 2 (08:09):
I'm gonna start.

Speaker 3 (08:09):
I'm going to start with Staten Island Police and I
We're gonna start there.

Speaker 4 (08:14):
How do you know what he's a used part?

Speaker 6 (08:16):
My husband looked at everything you did. They look like
they've been wiped off, cleaned off, and just installed in
another car, just car from somebody.

Speaker 2 (08:26):
Leo.

Speaker 3 (08:26):
You're you're not gonna wanna You're not gonna want to
pass this off. You want to you want to take
care of this right now, okay, And I want you
to think about what's going on here, Slow down, give
it some thought before we hang up.

Speaker 4 (08:40):
Why don't you bring the car and take care of it.

Speaker 2 (08:42):
You absolutely not, It's not gonna happen, Leo.

Speaker 6 (08:46):
I would never.

Speaker 4 (08:47):
Let anyone I know bring a car into your shop.

Speaker 6 (08:49):
And I can't even tell you how many negative reviews
me and everyone I know is gonna lead for your
business because the.

Speaker 2 (08:56):
Wrong so Leo, Leo, listen, messed up. Okay, Leo, I'm
gonna give you.

Speaker 3 (09:00):
One more shot here, and then we're just gonna hang up. Okay,
we're gonna we're just gonna hang up. What do you
want to do here? Now, give it some thought.

Speaker 2 (09:07):
I'm gonna give you a half your money back.

Speaker 3 (09:09):
That's not gonna work. That's not gonna work. That's not
gonna work.

Speaker 5 (09:12):
Yeah, do you have her original parts?

Speaker 4 (09:15):
What am I supposed to do with these parts?

Speaker 2 (09:17):
She came in six weeks? We want her money back.
Of course you don't have the parts. Of course you
don't have the parts.

Speaker 5 (09:22):
Give you the money back.

Speaker 2 (09:24):
Okay, we want the money back. All right. You're at
the end of the road, Leo.

Speaker 7 (09:28):
It's time for a refund, and you're gonna refund this
woman the full amount. And you got a couple of
options on how to do it. You can credit that
credit card, you can send her a Venmo, we can
go with Zel. We can even do a wire transfer.
What do you need here?

Speaker 2 (09:42):
Okay, and then this problem goes away.

Speaker 5 (09:45):
Leo, m hm, Yeah, I'm gonna need your credit card.

Speaker 3 (09:49):
This Alyssa, Alyssa, do you can you give me your
credit card?

Speaker 6 (09:55):
I mean I would be way more comfortable with zell
or Venmo. I'm not giving this man my information again.

Speaker 4 (10:02):
What did you call it?

Speaker 6 (10:03):
Gazelle?

Speaker 1 (10:03):
I don't even know what that is.

Speaker 3 (10:04):
It's okay, it's not gazelle. Okay, Leo Alyssa, You're gonna
have to go with the credit card. And I swear
to God, all these contacts we are personally we are
personally connected with the Federal Trade Commission in the state
Attorney General's office and Staten Island Police Commissioner, and the
Better Business Bureau and the Consumer Fraud Protection Bureau. I mean,

(10:26):
I can go on and on if I obviously know
where your shop is, do the right thing by end
of today are Monday.

Speaker 5 (10:34):
Is gonna be Stop putting used parts in cards? Yes,
Stop ripping people off. People work hard for their money
and you get in there and you.

Speaker 3 (10:42):
Rip a lot. Notice he's unnoticed. Now you are officially
unnotice Alyssa. We've got to get going. Do you want
to give him your credit card?

Speaker 6 (10:49):
I'm going to give him my credit card information and
then I am going to cancel that card in.

Speaker 4 (10:53):
Three days I's fort about it.

Speaker 5 (10:55):
Okay, do that now? You get your money back?

Speaker 4 (10:58):
There.

Speaker 2 (10:58):
It is Leo. We're gonna off air stamping.

Speaker 6 (11:01):
That is the only way I would ever give any
of my personal again.

Speaker 1 (11:07):
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 nine three five. That is six
nine nine three five. This is fraud. Friday