A Cadillac dealership worker has sparked discussion on TikTok after claiming that a car worth $60,000 was stolen from their dealership.
According to MarketWatch, “over a million vehicles were stolen in the United States in 2022.” While around half of the time these thefts are due in whole or in part to driver error—for example, a driver left their keys in the car—other instances have had thieves get pretty elaborate in order to pull off their crime.
For example, there was a wave of thefts of Kia and Hyundai vehicles after videos went viral showing how easily the cars could be started using a USB cable. In another case, a man bought a car from Carvana, only to discover that the car had been stolen and was sold to him as part of a “sophisticated fraud.”
However, in this case, the dealership worker says the thief got away with it.
How did this man get away with stealing a car?
In a video with over 372,000 views, TikTok user Drew Obada (@drewobada) explains how a man managed to steal a car from his dealership.
According to Obada, a man came into the dealership wearing a suit and sunglasses interested in a 2018 Cadillac CTS-V.
“It was just like any other deal,” Obada recalls.
The man paid for the car with a cashier’s check, provided a driver’s license, was issued temporary plates, and was able to drive off the lot with his new car.
About a week later, however, Obada says the dealership got a call from the bank.
“The bank says, ‘Yeah, you have a check for 57,000 that just bounced back, basically,’” Obada states.
Upon going through their records, they realized that the thief was the man in the video—and the information that he had provided the dealership was fake.
Obada ends his video with a plea for viewers to be on the lookout for someone with the appearance of the man shown in the video.
@drewobada And just like that were our of a CTS V 🤦🏻♂️ #stolen #greenscreen #cardealership #police #crime #fypシ゚viral #sales #theft #scammed ♬ original sound – DrewObada
Obada posts a follow-up video
In another video, Obada details why he believed the man had “no red flags.”
“We check the ‘repeat offender.’ We do it with all of our deals—it don’t matter who you are, what you are, how you look, don’t matter. We do the same thing—we do a ‘repeat offender,’ he passed that,” Obada explains. “The BMV system didn’t catch it, also, so it let us issue him a plate, because if…there was any red flags, they would have never let us.”
Obada notes that this is the first time that something of this nature has happened to their dealership, and that other dealerships in the area had vehicles stolen by the same person.
Generally, Obada says, people do not try to steal the car in person.
“They don’t come in in person because they know they can get f***ed up,” he explains, noting that in-person sales require the person to be recorded via security cameras.
Instead, Obada says, someone trying to scam the dealership will make a purchase remotely, send in a copy of their driver’s license, and have the car delivered. Obada notes that part of the reason he shared the original story was the uncommon nature of such a theft.
He also states that the cost of the stolen car will be covered by their insurance.
@drewobada Replying to @DBOW He had no red flags🚩🚩?? #trending ♬ original sound – DrewObada
Commenters share their thoughts
In the comments section, a few users questioned the dealership’s behavior leading up to the sale.
“WHY would you guys not call the bank or credit union first to verify the cashier’s check?” asked a user.
“You don’t give the car without doing a 5 day guarantee of check,” stated another. “Once the check is paid then u give the car. I sold cars for 22 years.”
“Did you guys verify insurance?” questioned a third. “I would’ve called and added that car to his policy asap even if he paid cash. That guy would have given every excuse why you shouldn’t call his insurance.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Obada via email and TikTok DM.
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