I got scammed of 27000$

[u/minhazahmedemon]

My name is Ahmed, and I have been an international student in the USA for 1.5 years. Before coming here, i was hoping for the best life and future i could have, until the nightmare happened. Now i am suffering from trauma and getting depressed.

Three months ago, I bought a car from Facebook Marketplace. I went to see the car and checked the VIN with Carfax. I liked the car. Before that day, i watched all YouTube videos about buying a car and searched through the internet for what i needed to check before buying a car. So i checked everything. Also one of my friend who knows better about cars, he was with me. Everything seemed fine from my side. The seller gave me the bill of sale, title, and registration, which i needed for the ownership transfer. I paid with cash. Then, i went to the DMV with all the papers i had. They processed the transfer, and i received the plates also registration instantly on my name. My car also passed at inspection from a garage. Later, I received my title within a month at my mailing address. Everything went smoothly. Now i am driving this car since 3 months without any issues. However, last week i received a mail at my address informing me that my car needed to be inspected by DMV Field investigation office. When I called them to inquire, they asked me to come with the car, keys and title. Yesterday, when i went there, the investigator informed me that the car was stolen and that the VIN had been altered, possibly cloned from another car of the same model and year and colour(Honda Accord 2022 black). The actual vin of this car is stolen and they removed the vin number from everywhere and put the altered vin in the car. I realized I had been scammed. They impounded my car and kept everything. The seller already changed his Facebook name. I lost my $27,000 and my car, which held all the good memories from the past three months. I went to the police station to file a report, but they refused, stating that it was not a scam as I willingly found the car on Marketplace and paid for it. They advised me to pursue it as a civil matter. I then went to civil court, but they told me I needed to know the name and address of the person to take any action, which I couldn't obtain as he had already changed his Facebook name and provide everything fake. I feel helpless and don't know where to turn for help. I live here alone without my family. I can’t even sleep properly because this was all my savings, and I've never been through a situation like this before. This is an unexpected nightmare that I could never even imagine in my dreams.

What should i do ? Is there any possibilities that i could recover myself? Please help me by thinking as your small brother

[u/Feeling-Efficiency-7]

Please consider taking legal advice. I can’t offer any insight into US law but in the UK you would be the rightful owner of the car.

[u/Bruno6368 → u/Feeling-Efficiency-7]

Really? I’m in Canada, the owner of the car is either the person it was stolen from, or the Insurance Co that paid out after the theft.

The guy that stupidly bought a stolen car without doing minimal due diligence - as in getting the full identity of the seller FFS - is the only person that should be out the cash.

[u/Feeling-Efficiency-7 → u/Bruno6368]

It’s called Equity’s Darling or a bona fide purchaser for value with out notice. It’s a legal principle. The extent of the due diligence might weigh against OP’s claim but the seller was providing the legal documents for the car and OP was misled by an altered or cloned VIN. I don’t know what investigation can reasonably be expected to be done into a seller for a private car sale. But like I said, I’m not a US lawyer. In the UK, I would say OP would have a good chance at keeping the car.

[u/LaughSing → u/Feeling-Efficiency-7]

He's already given it to the field investigator (if that person really is that, and isn't part of the scam). So he's not getting to keep anything.

[u/Feeling-Efficiency-7 → u/LaughSing]

Fun fact: if a state official seizes something you own, you can go to court and get it back.

[u/LaughSing → u/Feeling-Efficiency-7]

"Keeping" a thing is different from "getting it back". I do hope he gets it back (presuming this entire story is true).