DMV officers arrest Las Vegas man accused of selling stolen car online
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LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - Police with the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles have arrested a Las Vegas man who is accused of selling a stolen vehicle online.
According to a news release, Chad Anthony Livingston-Cook, 23, was taken into custody on Aug. 26.
The DMV says Livingston-Cook allegedly listed a 2015 Mercedes Benz C300 on OfferUp and sold it for $14,000 cash to an out-of-state buyer at a local casino. The buyer then returned to New Mexico where they learned from that state’s DMV that the vehicle was carrying a fake title, officials say.
According to the release, Livingston-Cook communicated with the victim through OfferUp and later by text message, which allowed the Nevada DMV officers to link him to the unsuspecting buyer.
The release states that after a weeks-long investigation, officers allege that an accomplice of Livingston-Cook’s fraudulently obtained credit from an unrelated second victim to purchase the vehicle at a local dealership before it was listed on OfferUp.
Livingston-Cook’s phone number was linked to the fraudulent credit application, the DMV says. The man has refused to identify any co-conspirators, according to the release.
This case marks the second arrest made during the month of August by DMV officers pursuing a fraudulent online vehicle sale.
Compliance Enforcement Division Chief J.D. Decker said consumers should be especially cautious about such transactions, adding that his office sees as many as 10 cases per month that result in victims being scammed out of cash paid to individuals for a stolen or fraudulently obtained vehicle.
“Buyers should beware of individuals who are offering vehicles for discounted prices but demanding cash,” Decker said. “Private party sales are particularly risky for consumers.”
The release says Livingston-Cook was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on four felony charges and one gross misdemeanor, including the unlawful transfer of interest in a motor vehicle.
Anyone who believes they may have been a victim of a fraudulent vehicle sales scam is urged to contact the DMV’s Compliance Enforcement Division at 702-486-8626 or dmv.nv.gov/ced.htm.
