Retired Oklahoma City firefighter among victims of fraud ring involving classic cars and fake Tulsa address

A Tulsa address and the name of a real but obscure business were used to scam millions of dollars from people who thought they were buying classic cars, according to investigators in North Carolina, where a man was arrested on fraud, money laundering and conspiracy charges in the case. Investigators say other victims are now coming forward.

The address used in online ads is a shopping center near 42nd and Mingo, where victims started calling businesses several months ago, trying to track down their undelivered cars.

"We had one lady call that had given $100,000 to these people, and I was like, I'm so sorry. You got scammed," said Joby Taylor, the manager of Tulsa Truck Works, the most prominent storefront in the center.

He said that while most people call trying to locate a non-existent business, a few people have shown up to look in person, and he was able to give them bad news before they lost their money.

"They wanted to see cars and the car lot, and we said, 'That's not here.'"

Online ads posted to Facebook and other sites list showroom-quality classic cars at unusually low prices. The ads referencing Tulsa are for “Specialty Vehicles of Tulsa” with a logo that says “Dreams Come True.” The same criminals were using another business name and address in Arizona, according to investigators with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, who say victims in that state alone lost $3 million.

A retired Oklahoma City firefighter says he lost the $45,000 he saved to buy the 1968 Camaro he always wanted. He had a car sales professional look over the paperwork and ensure everything matched what he saw online before sending the money. As soon as he did, communication was cut off. “You just really feel dumb, like how did this really happen?” he said.

North Carolina officials say they have made one arrest and are searching for another suspect.

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