'Our minds were blown': Florida couple says dealership sold them a stolen truck
Imagine buying your dream vehicle only to find out it was actually stolen.
That is what happened to the Haines family in Florida. And they say they are still on the hook for the payment.
Watch the full story in the video player above.
Brandon Haines and his family were searching for a new pickup truck for months.
맥스카지노I just wanted a fully-loaded F-350 diesel,맥스카지노 Haines said.
After a long time of looking, the husband and father of two found it.
맥스카지노He was so excited,맥스카지노 his wife April Haines said. 맥스카지노He took a picture, like thumbs up. He had finally gotten what he wanted.맥스카지노
In May, the Haines family bought a Ford F-350 from Bill Bryan Chrysler Dodge Jeep in Fruitland Park. But a month later, they made a shocking discovery.
맥스카지노It was stolen,맥스카지노 April Haines said. 맥스카지노And our minds were blown.맥스카지노
In June, the Haines brought the truck in for an oil change at a different dealership closer to home. That is when they said mechanics found discrepancies.
맥스카지노It came up stolen immediately,맥스카지노 April Haines said. 맥스카지노It came up in red, big bright: 맥스카지노Stolen.맥스카지노 Right on the screen in red letters.맥스카지노
Video above: Is your car on the new most stolen list?
Three red flags caught their eye. First, the technicians ran the truck맥스카지노s VIN in their system and found it was not a Ford manufactured number, according to a report from the Flagler County Sheriff맥스카지노s Office. And then, they tapped into the truck맥스카지노s software and found the VIN there did not match the tags on the door or dashboard.
맥스카지노The VIN tag that맥스카지노s on the door, you were able to peel it off, like, it was just coming right off,맥스카지노 Brandon Haines said.
So the Haines family called the sheriff맥스카지노s office that same day and recorded a cell phone video of law enforcement impounding their truck. The department confirmed the family맥스카지노s fears.
A sheriff맥스카지노s office report shows they discovered the truck was stolen from a dealership in Colorado. And they found that the truck was not even the type of truck the Haines family thought they bought.
The Haines family signed a contract for a 2019 Ford F-350 Super Duty. But investigators found the truck was actually a 2017 Ford F-350 Super Duty, a model two years older.
맥스카지노When you go to a big dealership and you trust them and you feel like, 맥스카지노Oh, I got a nice new car,맥스카지노 and then come to find out all of these things and you didn맥스카지노t see it. We didn맥스카지노t see any of it,맥스카지노 April Haines said.
Over three months after buying the truck, the Haines said the dealership was not helping them and they are still on the hook for the loan for tens of thousands of dollars plus their down payment and modifications they made to the truck.
Video above: Surveillance video captures group of thieves trying to steal muscle cars
맥스카지노This is hard,맥스카지노 said Brandon Haines. 맥스카지노It맥스카지노s unbelievable something like that could happen and nobody does nothing about it.맥스카지노
So the Haines family filed a lawsuit against the dealership and the bank arguing that there was a breach of contract. The complaint lists red flags like VIN tags that were 맥스카지노glaringly obvious forgeries,맥스카지노 a radio system that didn맥스카지노t match that truck model and a CarFax 맥스카지노suspiciously devoid맥스카지노 of key information.
맥스카지노I want my money back and I want other people to know that this could happen to them, too,맥스카지노 said April Haines.
Experts say this situation is known as VIN cloning and it could happen to anyone.
맥스카지노VIN cloning is just copying the information of another car into a stolen car,맥스카지노 said Erika Urdaneta.
Urdaneta is the vice president of operations at the Better Business Bureau of Central Florida. She explained that VIN cloning is a method of concealing a vehicle맥스카지노s true identity. Her advice to car buyers: do your homework.
맥스카지노[The VIN tag] should not look like it was tampered with. It should not look like it was lifted,맥스카지노 she said. 맥스카지노That맥스카지노s a huge sign.맥스카지노
Video above: Vehicle theft still on the rise after the pandemic
Urdaneta also said before buying a vehicle, people should look up the VIN on state and other reputable databases.
The dealership declined to do an interview. But in an email, they said their attorney reached a resolution with the Haines.
Sister station WESH reached out to the dealership on Aug. 18. The Haines family said the dealership contacted them later that same day, a few hours after our inquiry, and they are trying to work out a settlement.
The full email response from the dealership to WESH on Aug. 18 said: 맥스카지노Hello, our attorney has been in contact with the Haines. They have came to a resolution with this issue. We맥스카지노re now waiting for the insurance company to get settled. We have reached back out to our insurance company again trying to expedite this for them so they get back whole and get past all this.맥스카지노
After a bumpy four months, the Haines family is hoping for a smooth road ahead since they are out of a truck and money.
맥스카지노I맥스카지노m very sad and I just want this to all be over for our family,맥스카지노 said April Haines.
On Monday, the Haines family said they have agreed on a settlement with the dealership.
WESH also reached out to the family맥스카지노s bank. They have not replied.
