When ordering a car, it’s not always delivery, it’s deception.
A pricey Mercedes-Benz SUV in Hollywood was on the verge of being the latest ritzy ride ripped off as part of a high-tech scheme, until the owner sensed something was off and slammed the brakes on the crooks.
Seasoned auto broker Ayodele Afolabi reached out to 7News after seeing last week’s coverage of a previous luxury vehicle theft.
“If this can happen to me, it can happen anybody in America,” he said.
Afolabi said he almost got scammed twice in two months. He contacted 7News after he learned about a Weston man who said thieves rerouted and stole his Bentley SUV, valued at $240,000, in a recurring transport hacking scheme.
“I saw you guys on Instagram. This guy, I believe, his Bentley was stolen,” he said.
Afolabi said his story happened in Hollywood last month, when the Mercedes G-Class SUV he bought and tried to ship to Baltimore, nearly got ripped off, just like his 2024 Range Rover.
Afolabi said the Range Rover was swiped in the New York area seven weeks ago, and when he saw that his G-Wagen wasn’t being loaded onto an enclosed cargo vehicle, he became suspicious.
“So when I saw it I said, ‘Please call the police! This is fraudulent’” he said.
It’s what he and those at Gravity Autos Hollywood figured out. A single car-carrying flatbed for a scheduled trip to Maryland was the first red flag.
“[I said], ‘Take that G-Wagen out of the flatbed. I don’t know where you guys are taking it. This is going out of state. It’s supposed to go in an enclosed cargo,” said Gio Bustos with Gravity Autos.
Bustos also discovered the transport driver’s instructions were to deliver the Mercedes only five miles away. He called 911.
“We’re not gonna release it until we find a secure transport company,” an employee said cellphone video showing the G-Wagen.
Scammers hack the dispatch company that arranges transport drivers, creating fraudulent work orders the delivery drivers believe to be real.
“Before you realize it, before you call the police, he’s gone!” said Afolabi.
No arrests were made, but Afolabi eventually got his vehicle, despite the efforts of luxe car crooks.
“They are destroying a lot of businesses,” he said.
Afolabi may have gotten his G-Wagen back, but he still doesn’t know where his Range Rover is.
Anthony Peters and his fiancée, the owners of the stolen Bentley, are now offering a $10,000 reward for the return of their SUV.