25 people have been indicted in New York on a fraudulent scheme that involved the suspects impersonating legitimate sellers of cars, tricking victims into paying for those cars, and then wiring the proceeds outside the United States. The victims responded to ads on the internet for classic cars. Once a deal was reached, the victims wired funds to a third party that was actually operated by the fraudsters. The co-conspirators then sent the proceeds to Eastern European countries, where many of the conspirators originated. Victims never received the cars they believed they had purchased. Many were unable to recover their money and were left paying loans for cars that they never received. The scheme defrauded victims of more than $4.5 million.
