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A 17-year-old high school student in Los Angeles bought and renovated a second-hand Mercedes, but it was forcibly repossessed on the eve of the transaction. Suspected of identity fraud at the DMV and negligence in handling property rights, he lost $58,000 and his college fund.
I checked the vehicle history and went to the DMV to confirm ownership, but the car I purchased was still repossessed.los angeles A 17-year-old high school student spent NT$58,000 on second-handmercedes The suspicious identity of the transaction was discovered only three months laterscam The DMV can also make mistakes in handling property rights. He had originally planned to refurbish and resell the car to earn college tuition, but now he lost not only the car, but also all the savings he had saved during four years of high school.
According to ABC7 TV station, Arod Bergis is a high school senior who loves repairing cars. He spotted a 2019 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG sedan on car trading website Autotrader and purchased it for NT$58,000, intending to refurbish it and resell it. He originally thought that by purchasing a car at a price below market value, he could not only enjoy car repairs, but also have the opportunity to earn the difference and enrich his college fund. This can be said to be like killing two birds with one stone.
After three months of renovation, the Bergis found a buyer willing to offer $75,000. Unexpectedly, the night before the scheduled transaction, the vehicle suddenly disappeared. They initially thought the car was stolen and reported it to the Los Angeles Police Department. He then followed police instructions and contacted the towing company, only to learn that the vehicle had been repossessed. The towing company told them that the collection of the car was as per the instructions of the car trading company Carvana.
Bergis said neither the title documents issued by the DMV nor the CarFax vehicle history report reviewed listed any mortgagees. To be cautious, he accompanied the seller to the DMV to verify the title before making payment. According to his account, DMV staff repeatedly confirmed that there was no mortgage on the vehicle and no issues with the title, so he could pay the purchase price with confidence.
However, after the vehicle was repossessed, he went to the DMV again to seek clarification, but the original ownership certificate was taken away. According to their report, DMV personnel explained that when handling property transfers, previous documents can sometimes be overlooked, the mortgage may be released in error, and a new certificate of ownership may be issued to the buyer; Due to this error the document received by them was considered invalid. Bergis believes this may have been a mistake or fraud.
The DMV said the case was still under investigation and could not comment; Carvana had not responded to a request for comment at the time of filing this report. The Los Angeles Police Department launched an investigation, but Bergis said that the identification and related documents used by the seller were forged, making it more difficult for police to track him down. They hope Carvana can return the vehicle or compensate them for the $58,000 purchase price.
Bergis said that all of these savings were originally going to be used to pay for college expenses, but now he has lost both his car and his savings, and has had to postpone his plans for further education. He said that he tried various means but could not solve the problem and gradually became frustrated. He went to the DMV to verify property rights according to the usual recommendations, thinking he had followed all the correct procedures, but in the end he still became a victim of fraud.
Summary FAQ
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He saw a 2019 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG on Autotrader and thought it was priced below market value, so he bought it for NT$58,000, intending to renovate it and resell it to pay for college tuition and earn accumulated investment returns.
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The car was towed the night before the resale event and the towing company said it was following Carvana’s instructions. They later discovered that the car may have contained forged identification and ownership documents, leading to repossession proceedings.
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The DMV was questioned about whether he may have misjudged the mortgage when transferring title to the property, allowing him to obtain invalid documents; Carvana has not responded yet. High school students lost their cars and 58,000 yuan of savings, and even their college plans were postponed.
