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These days scams are more convoluted and often rely on technology. Phishing and other forms of hacking are costing a fortune to the banks and big business, which often transfers some of its losses to the consumer. However, old world scams should not be overlooked. Specifically, the post-COVID-19 marketplace has exposed a troubling trend: car restoration fraud is on the rise.
Many victims, most of whom are business owners or educated professionals, are classic car enthusiasts. They know their craft. And yet many of them find themselves exposed to scam risk because the auto repair industry is still poorly regulated and attracts scammer that market their services using the internet. Crooked auto repair shops take advantage of fancy websites, online marketing, and fake positive reviews on google and yelp to bring in their next victim. Then, the crooks either just disappear or intimidate consumers by filing fraudulent mechanics liens. While consumers certainly have a responsibility to educate themselves to avoid being scammed, government watchdogs should also be on the lookout for car repair scammers to protect consumers.
Motor vehicle theft is the third most common property crime in the United States. More than 810,000 vehicles were stolen in the recent year, adding up to about $7.4 billion in losses to consumers. While 86 percent of these thefts were reported to the police, just 17.2 percent of these crimes were "cleared," meaning that a suspect was charged with the crime. In most cases, the car fraud victims have already been swindled out of their money and may not even be able to recover the vehicles they have entrusted to the crooks. This is because criminals know how to abuse liens and often sell the cars that they take in to restore or repair from under their owners through VIN swaps or other machinations. Even if the vehicle is not illegally sold from under its rightful owners, it is often dismantled for parts that get shamelessly hawked such online platforms as eBay. For these reasons suing often becomes too expensive and criminal prosecutions are rare and can also take a long time.

(Photo : Accused Car fraudsters Brian T. Hall of Gig Harbor, Washington and Jimmy Richard May II of Brunswig, Ohio)

On rare occasions, the law holds the car repair scammers accountable. Two recent examples are Jimmy Richard May of Brunswich, Ohio and Brian T. Hall and Michele A. Hall owners of Defenders Northwest, LLC in Gig Harbor, Washington.
Jimmy Richard May II. May was arrested in Brunswick, Ohio on nine felony counts of theft by conversion. In one of the cases May, who is currently held in custody on a six-figure bail, allegedly sold a 1967 Pontiac GTO that was under his care for restoration. In another charge, May stole a 1966 Chevy G-10 pickup truck valued at $20,000. Another arrest warrant filed in March 2021 alleges May pocketed a $9,249.95 check, for which he was supposed to perform work on a 1954 Chevy 210. May also allegedly stole the 1954 Chevy 210. Another warrant filed in March 2021 alleges May took $37,000 in advance for work on a 1969 Plymouth Road Runner. The charges include multiple counts of felony theft by taking, theft by conversion, and theft by deception.
The other illustration involves a Gig Harbor, Washington couple, Brian T. Hall and
Michele Hall, who were sued by victims claiming in court filings that the Halls and their Land Rover restoration business, Defenders Northwest, LLC, swindled them out of hundreds of thousands of dollars through an eight-year fraudulent scheme. According to legal documents, once the fraud was uncovered, lawsuits followed. The Halls allegedly launched a smear campaign against the attorneys representing the victims of the scheme by posting insults and lies on social media and creating fake websites to malign the attorney who took them and Defenders Northwest, LLC to court. Court documents painstakingly explain how Michele Hall and Brian Hall orchestrated a plan to cheat their clients out of their Land Rover Defender 130 vehicle. Allegedly, the Halls kept running the scam for years, sending fraudulent invoices while making up excuses regarding why the owners' vehicles could not be delivered. Brian T. Hall claimed that his shop was targeted for multiple burglaries and instances of vandalism; then, he told his customers that COVID-19 delays and sudden phantom electrical problems led to more delays. Unfortunately, cases where the scammers are held accountable for automotive restoration fraud are rare. More must be done to prevent fraudsters from preying on trusting car aficionados.
In the meantime, the best way to mitigate the risk of being scammed when planning a car restoration project is to do your due diligence before releasing your car to the care of a repair shop. Scammers will often promise unrealistic results just to lure in their next victim. As in all business dealings consumers should remember that Latin phrase: caveat emptor (buyer beware). Individuals who have saved and invested in personal trophies of automotive history must remember that the future may hold unpleasant surprises if they entrust their car restoration projects to the likes of Brian Hall, Defenders Northwest or Jimmy Richard May.

www.autoworldnews.com/articles…

Description

These days scams are more convoluted and often rely on technology. Phishing and other forms of hacking are costing a fortune to the banks and big business, which often transfers some of its losses to the consumer. However, old world scams should not be overlooked. Specifically, the post-COVID-19 marketplace has exposed a troubling trend: car restoration fraud is on the rise.
Many victims, most of whom are business owners or educated professionals, are classic car enthusiasts. They know their craft. And yet many of them find themselves exposed to scam risk because the auto repair industry is still poorly regulated and attracts scammer that market their services using the internet. Crooked auto repair shops take advantage of fancy websites, online marketing, and fake positive reviews on google and yelp to bring in their next victim. Then, the crooks either just disappear or intimidate consumers by filing fraudulent mechanics liens. While consumers certainly have a responsibility to educate themselves to avoid being scammed, government watchdogs should also be on the lookout for car repair scammers to protect consumers.
Motor vehicle theft is the third most common property crime in the United States. More than 810,000 vehicles were stolen in the recent year, adding up to about $7.4 billion in losses to consumers. While 86 percent of these thefts were reported to the police, just 17.2 percent of these crimes were "cleared," meaning that a suspect was charged with the crime. In most cases, the car fraud victims have already been swindled out of their money and may not even be able to recover the vehicles they have entrusted to the crooks. This is because criminals know how to abuse liens and often sell the cars that they take in to restore or repair from under their owners through VIN swaps or other machinations. Even if the vehicle is not illegally sold from under its rightful owners, it is often dismantled for parts that get shamelessly hawked such online platforms as eBay. For these reasons suing often becomes too expensive and criminal prosecutions are rare and can also take a long time.

(Photo : Accused Car fraudsters Brian T. Hall of Gig Harbor, Washington and Jimmy Richard May II of Brunswig, Ohio)

On rare occasions, the law holds the car repair scammers accountable. Two recent examples are Jimmy Richard May of Brunswich, Ohio and Brian T. Hall and Michele A. Hall owners of Defenders Northwest, LLC in Gig Harbor, Washington.
Jimmy Richard May II. May was arrested in Brunswick, Ohio on nine felony counts of theft by conversion. In one of the cases May, who is currently held in custody on a six-figure bail, allegedly sold a 1967 Pontiac GTO that was under his care for restoration. In another charge, May stole a 1966 Chevy G-10 pickup truck valued at $20,000. Another arrest warrant filed in March 2021 alleges May pocketed a $9,249.95 check, for which he was supposed to perform work on a 1954 Chevy 210. May also allegedly stole the 1954 Chevy 210. Another warrant filed in March 2021 alleges May took $37,000 in advance for work on a 1969 Plymouth Road Runner. The charges include multiple counts of felony theft by taking, theft by conversion, and theft by deception.
The other illustration involves a Gig Harbor, Washington couple, Brian T. Hall and
Michele Hall, who were sued by victims claiming in court filings that the Halls and their Land Rover restoration business, Defenders Northwest, LLC, swindled them out of hundreds of thousands of dollars through an eight-year fraudulent scheme. According to legal documents, once the fraud was uncovered, lawsuits followed. The Halls allegedly launched a smear campaign against the attorneys representing the victims of the scheme by posting insults and lies on social media and creating fake websites to malign the attorney who took them and Defenders Northwest, LLC to court. Court documents painstakingly explain how Michele Hall and Brian Hall orchestrated a plan to cheat their clients out of their Land Rover Defender 130 vehicle. Allegedly, the Halls kept running the scam for years, sending fraudulent invoices while making up excuses regarding why the owners' vehicles could not be delivered. Brian T. Hall claimed that his shop was targeted for multiple burglaries and instances of vandalism; then, he told his customers that COVID-19 delays and sudden phantom electrical problems led to more delays. Unfortunately, cases where the scammers are held accountable for automotive restoration fraud are rare. More must be done to prevent fraudsters from preying on trusting car aficionados.
In the meantime, the best way to mitigate the risk of being scammed when planning a car restoration project is to do your due diligence before releasing your car to the care of a repair shop. Scammers will often promise unrealistic results just to lure in their next victim. As in all business dealings consumers should remember that Latin phrase: caveat emptor (buyer beware). Individuals who have saved and invested in personal trophies of automotive history must remember that the future may hold unpleasant surprises if they entrust their car restoration projects to the likes of Brian Hall, Defenders Northwest or Jimmy Richard May.

www.autoworldnews.com/articles…