ATLANTA — Thousands of people ship cars every year – for a move, job relocation or a luxury purchase online.
Police said a growing number of those cars never arrive because they’re stolen.
Channel 2’s Michael Seiden learned investigators said this crime is shockingly easy to pull off, and it is happening across the U.S. including here in Georgia.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
Just last month, NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal had his brand new custom Range Rover stolen. Authorities believe he was targeted in a fast-growing car shipping scam that results in tens of millions of dollars in stolen cars every year.
Inside Auto Barn LLC in Newnan moving luxury cars was routine for Travis Payne the former general manager.
The business ships millions of dollars-worth of cars coast-to-coast to dealerships, private buyers, and collectors.
But Payne said the hardest part now isn’t selling cars, it’s keeping them from getting stolen.
“This has ruined people’s businesses, families’ lives. These guys are destroying lives,” said Payne.
Investigators said criminals are using double brokering to target luxury and popular cars.
Here’s how the scam works.
A broker posts a car shipment on a car shipping website.
A scammer pretending to be a legitimate carrier accepts the job.
Instead of picking up the car, they repost the load as the broker.
A real carrier shows up, loads the car, and unknowingly delivers it straight to the criminals.
By the time the broker realizes what happened, the car and the money are gone.
“Dude, I didn’t sleep, that’s a very, I mean after the shock factor really, really mad,” said Payne.
He purchased a $300,000 Rolls Royce Cullinan for a customer from a dealership in Scottsdale, Arizona last summer.
Payne posted the load online, struck a deal with a carrier on Friday and expected it in Georgia by Monday.
When the SUV didn’t show up, the excuses started.
“I asked, ‘what’s going on?’ and he says, ‘driver’s in the hospital.’ Then he goes, ‘driver never picked up the car,’” said Payne.
He contacted the Arizona dealership which sent him a slip confirming the pickup. But no receiver is listed on it and the destination reads California, not Georgia.
Payne finally reached someone connected to the pickup.
“’Where’s my car? Hello? Hello?’ They’re not responding to me. And then I got a text at like 1:30 in the morning back from that number, and all it said was, nice car,” said Payne.
MORE 2 INVESTIGATES
- Sunroofs exploding suddenly, auto owners left with cost to replace
- Data center set to use 6 water towers worth of water per day in Georgia
- Kratom concern: Former users warn others of potential addiction
“There’s no way to stop it,” said Barry Bannister a fraud specialist.
He said he has investigated more than 100 of these cases in two years, including a $269,000 Maserati.
“In the last four months, I’ve been involved in recovering about a million dollars’ worth of cars,” said Bannister.
One of those cases involved a 2025 Audi RS valued at $165,000. A buyer in Nebraska bought it from a dealership in Chamblee.
It never made it.
Authorities eventually tracked it to Tampa, Florida, arrested suspects and recovered the car.
“That’s kind of one in a million, not a one in a million thing, but it’s not always common that the property gets recovered,” said Tim Paske a Chamblee Police Department detective.
“These aren’t your average street gang or something like that or somebody who’s out here for a crime of opportunity. This is generally part of a larger organization,” Paske continued.
Investigators said NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal became a victim when thieves stole his $180,000 custom Range Rover while it was being transported from Georgia to Louisiana.
For Payne, it took five months before he finally located his Rolls Royce across the border in Mexico. He said he’s working with the FBI, but there is little they can do.
“It really is the perfect crime,” said Payne.
Investigators said the safest thing you can do is verify everything before the car leaves.
Make sure the Department of Transportation number matches the driver, demand a bill of lading with the vehicle identification number (VIN) and destination, get proof of insurance and stay in constant contact with the driver.
If you are buying a used car, especially online match the VIN in at least three places, run the VIN yourself and if the paperwork doesn’t match or the price seems too good to be true walk away.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2025 Cox Media Group
