Automobiles hold getting stolen from Ford holding tons, and while authorities are generally in a position to get better the autos, the thieves typically get away, particularly in situations with a number of autos. Then there are occasions the place nobody is aware of something about what’s happening. The Detroit Free Press particulars how 14 Ford F-150s had been stolen from a holding lot, offered 1000’s of miles away and stayed beneath the radar because of clean car titles that had been stolen 16 years in the past.
In late 2022, 14 Ford F-150 pickups totaling over $1 million had been stolen from a Ford holding lot in Detroit. Nobody is aware of any particulars of precisely how the vans had been stolen; an investigation discovered the location lacked video surveillance, famous a number of autos on the lot with keys in them and most manifestly, included the truth that Ford by no means reported the vans stolen. The Free Press was in a position to evaluation fuel and toll receipts that confirmed that the vans wound up throughout the nation in Phoenix. Issues get a bit extra wild: the vans had been offered utilizing clean car titles stolen from Georgia in 2007. Freep outlined simply how the entire thing went down.
A thief takes a car from a holding lot, that are managed by Ford or the automaker’s companions, and drives it to the Phoenix metro space. Then somebody submits a stolen Georgia title crammed out with the Ford car info and will get a brand new title from an precise title firm. Then the car has the obvious legitimacy to enter the buyer pipeline via gross sales to numerous automobile sellers or people. In some incidents the Free Press reviewed, the car had modified arms 4 occasions previous to being found as stolen.
Police had been in a position to observe down all 14 vans and alerted Ford to the thefts, however the firm was clueless, as there was no anti-theft system that might have let the corporate know the vans had been stolen. Worse but, sellers, title firms and clients who thought that they’d completed authentic transactions discovered themselves the targets of raids or police investigations.
Cascio Motors in Scottsdale, Arizona, was raided on December 23 by authorities in search of 4 of the F-150s they’d bought for $65,000 a pop. Co-owner of the dealership, Addison Brown, is pissed and even directed some anger at Ford.
“I’m presupposed to lock up my vehicles and have safety cameras. How can Ford depart vans out with keys in them in 2023? Why don’t they’ve higher safety? I’m out $300,000 and my vans have been impounded. Whenever you learn via the police experiences, you’ll be able to see that this case was labored backwards. Ford didn’t initially report vans stolen. And when individuals ask questions, Ford is nonresponsive,” she mentioned.
Others are coping with the fallout of the thefts as effectively. The proprietor of a title firm in Phoenix instructed his employees to not title any ‘22 or ‘23 F-150s to play it secure; two Ford sellers are at present locked in lawsuits over two of the vans they bought, amongst others.
Ford’s response to all of this? It occurs to everybody, and the corporate is a sufferer simply as a lot because the individuals who have been affected.
“Product theft is a tragic actuality for all producers, together with each carmaker, and retailers,” a spokesperson instructed The Free Press.
You’ll be able to try the remainder of the wild theft story right here.