Automobiles maintain getting stolen from Ford holding heaps, and while authorities are typically capable of get better the autos, the thieves typically get away, particularly in cases 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 hundreds of miles away and stayed beneath the radar because of clean automobile 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 vehicles 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 obviously, included the truth that Ford by no means reported the vehicles stolen. The Free Press was capable of assessment fuel and toll receipts that confirmed that the vehicles wound up throughout the nation in Phoenix. Issues get a bit extra wild: the vehicles had been offered utilizing clean automobile titles stolen from Georgia in 2007. Freep outlined simply how the entire thing went down.
A thief takes a automobile 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 automobile data and will get a brand new title from an precise title firm. Then the automobile has the obvious legitimacy to enter the buyer pipeline via gross sales to varied automotive sellers or people. In some incidents the Free Press reviewed, the automobile had modified fingers 4 occasions previous to being found as stolen.
Police had been capable of observe down all 14 vehicles and alerted Ford to the thefts, however the firm was clueless, as there was no anti-theft system that will have let the corporate know the vehicles had been stolen. Worse but, sellers, title firms and prospects who thought that that they had achieved official 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 that they had bought for $65,000 a pop. Co-owner of the dealership, Addison Brown, is pissed and even directed some anger at Ford.
“I’m purported to lock up my automobiles and have safety cameras. How can Ford go away vehicles out with keys in them in 2023? Why don’t they’ve higher safety? I’m out $300,000 and my vehicles have been impounded. Whenever you learn via the police experiences, you possibly can see that this case was labored backwards. Ford didn’t initially report vehicles stolen. And when folks ask questions, Ford is nonresponsive,” she mentioned.
Others are coping with the fallout of the thefts as nicely. 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 the moment locked in lawsuits over two of the vehicles 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 may try the remainder of the wild theft story right here.