Recovered Stolen Vehicle/Stolen Vehicle Scam

DATE & TIME:                        08-07-2023 / 3:51 pm

LOCATION:                            Gage County

OFFENSE:                              Recovered Stolen Vehicle / Stolen Vehicle Sale Scam   

CASE #:                                2023-3944      

On Monday, 08-07-2023, at approximately 3:51 pm, a Gage County resident brought in a 2018 Ford pickup they had purchased for $35,000.00 in cash after seeing it advertised for sale on a social media site.  The Gage County resident agreed to meet the seller in Saint Joseph, Missouri where they paid cash and received the vehicle and what appeared to be a valid title from another state.

When a vehicle is purchased from out of state, Nebraska law requires the vehicle and paperwork be brought to the sheriff’s office where the sheriff’s office checks to see if it is stolen.  During this process it was learned the vehicle had been reported stolen out of Houston, Texas.

The discovery was made due to Gage County being one of only a few counties in the state to use an OBD (On Board Diagnostic) device during the vehicle titling process.  The OBD reported a different VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) than the one visible on the vehicle and on the title.  A Gage County Sheriff’s Office investigator confirmed the actual VIN belonged to a vehicle reported stolen out of Texas.  The vehicle was then secured in the Gage County Sheriff’s Office Evidence Facility.

A fraud investigator from the Nebraska Department of Motor vehicles was contacted and he came to Beatrice on Tuesday, 08-08-2023 to conduct follow-up investigation, due to this possibly being tied to other cases of “cloned” or fraudulent titles throughout the State of Nebraska.

The Gage County Sheriff’s Office urges people to use extreme caution when making purchases, especially when the deal seems “too good to be true”.  The maxim “Caveat Emptor” (let the buyer beware) unfortunately is often the best practice.

Sheriff Millard “Gus” Gustafson #903

Sergeant T. Hanson #90310