A Las Vegas man has been arrested by the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles for selling a stolen vehicle online.

On August 26, Chad Anthony Livingston-Cook, 23, was arrested without incident.

The suspect reportedly listed their 2015 Mercedes Benz C300 on OfferUp and sold it for $14,000 cash to a buyer from out-of-state at a casino nearby.

After the buyer learned that the car was carrying a phony title from New Mexico’s DMV, he or she returned to New Mexico.

The victim and Livingston-Cook communicated through OfferUp, which allowed Nevada DMV to connect him with the buyer.

Following 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.

Investigators were also able to tie Livingston-Cook’s phone number to the fraudulent credit application, though Livingston-Cook refused to identify any co-conspirators.

The arrest is the second made in 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.

“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.”

Decker said his division sees as many as 10 cases per month that result in victims being defrauded out of cash paid to scammers for a stolen or fraudulently obtained vehicle.

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.

Credits: 2News

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