KPTM FOX 42: Omaha News, Sports and Weather; kptm.com |Don't Get Scammed When Buying a Car

Nicole Ebat

OMAHA(KPTM)--An Omaha man bought a car from someone he knew about a year ago, but he made the cardinal mistake--he didn't ask for the title right away. He's been paying for it ever since.

Even though Josh Morimoto laid down nearly $4,000 in cash for the 2006 Kia Spectra, there's little chance he'll ever actually own it without paying even more.

"I just got scammed. I should have asked for the title right up front before I even paid the guy, but I trusted him," said Morimoto.

Lieutenant Mark Gentile with the Douglas County Sheriff's office says to forget that you know someone when a large purchase is involved.

"At the end of the day, you have to watch out for yourself," he said.

There are a number of suggestions he offered to make sure you protect yourself when buying a car from a private seller:

                                  *Get the title up front

                                  *Make sure all information on the title matches the car                                                                  including vehicle identification number, color, make, model and year

                                  *Ask for ID to make sure the person selling the car is the one                                                        who actually owns it.

"If somebody gives you an excuse that you do not have a title, then that should send red flags to you that maybe you need to look into this and think twice about purchasing this automobile," said Gentile. "If they say they can get it to you in a few days, maybe it's best to wait a few days."

Morimoto eventually found out that the car is still owned by Citibank and there is still about $4,000 dollars left until the car is paid off. The money he gave his coworker was never applied to the loan. Morimoto says Citibank hasn't been any help in getting his title trouble resolved.

"He knowingly sold me a car that he did not own that he did not have a title to and he knew it," said Morimoto. "He was just looking for some poor sap who wanted a car and that was me."

He says he didn't get help from anyone until he filed a police report, something Gentile says he should have done much sooner.

Since he doesn't have the title, Morimoto has never been able to properly register the car. He's driving the car without plates and says he gets ticketed often.

As for the guy who sold Morimoto the car in the first place, he committed a felony and police are pursuing action.