A car fanatic and general manager of Auto Barn LLC fell victim to an elaborate scam, which ultimately ended up with a luxury Rolls Royce never arriving despite him paying for it.
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According to a report by The Daily Mail, Travis Payne paid $500,000 for a custom Rolls Royce Cullinan in July 2024. He arranged for the vehicle to be delivered to his home in Atlanta, Georgia. Fast forward six months, Payne never got his car and likely never will.
In an interview with VINwiki, Payne explained that he had arranged for the Rolls Royce to arrive on Tuesday. He notes that he didn't receive any confirmations but thought nothing of it at the time.
But in the middle of the day, when the car was supposed to arrive, Payne started to get worried. He called "AER Transportation LLC" and reached someone each time, but they kept giving excuses, like needing to contact the driver. When Payne finally demanded to know where the car had got to, the person on the phone told him, "Oh, the driver is in the hospital." He then told Payne that "he had never received the car." At that point, Payne recalls, "My heart sunk; I was like, oh no, oh no, this isn't happening to me."
Payne contacted the seller, who confirmed that the car left the dealer as usual. However, alarm bells started ringing when he didn't recognize the transport company, and his address was replaced with one in LA.
Payne called the address, which was a car dealership, asking if they'd received his Rolls Royce. His worst fears were confirmed when he was told, "No, but you're not the first person to call us."
Payne Wasn't The Only Victim Of The Stolen Car Scam
The person on the phone explained that others had called about cars that supposedly went to the dealership, including a Ferrari and two Bentleys. Knowing his car was stolen at this point, Payne kept digging and eventually obtained a phone number. He texted the person and explained that he just wanted his car back and wouldn't get the police involved. The person responded, "Nice car, mother."
Payne explains that he eventually gave up on finding the car but received a message on Instagram in November. Someone had found his car, but it had a new paint job and was white instead of black. However, the interior gave it away, as the star pattern across the roof was one-of-a-kind. The problem was that it was in Mexico.
Even armed with this evidence, Payne says that dealerships ghosted him. He was also told that some people were involved who he shouldn't mess with. He eventually found out that a dealer had sold the car to Mexican singer Luis Conriquez. It's not a secret either, "He's posting about it on his Instagram Story right now." Payne exclaims.
Per the report by the Daily Mail, Payne's car is still in Mexico and being driven by a singer who refuses to believe it's stolen. As the vehicle has crossed the border, US law enforcement's hands are tied. Lawyers are also reluctant to help.
