What appeared to be another weekend car sale was anything but at a Memphis-area Kia dealership when a man attempted to buy two vehicles with a fake ID bearing a dead person’s name. To keep the suspect onsite until the police arrived, the sales staff allowed the man to go through the vehicle purchase process, including participating in a congratulatory video that made its way to TikTok—followed promptly by the video of his arrest on the showroom floor.
According to Memphis police, the man walked into Gossett Kia on August 10 to arrange a deal to buy two Kia Telluride SUVs. These weren’t base model Tellurides either, with the pair reportedly valued at a combined $158,885. Because if you’re going to scam someone, why do it for synthetic leather? It’s gonna be Nappa or nothing, baby!
The entry-level, front-wheel drive 2024 Telluride LX starts at $37,585 (including destination), while a top-shelf, all-wheel drive SXP X-Line starts at $53,780. With a splitsies price of more than 79 grand per Telluride, Gossett Kia likely tacked on a number of dealership-installed accessories and packages (plus time) because there aren’t many from-the-factory extras at that point except floor mats, mudguards, and selecting a color for that opulent Nappa leather.
It’s not clear how or when the sales team realized something was wrong during the process, but after contacting police, they decided to go through the entire song and dance to make the suspect think he was actually buying the Tellurides. As captured in a now-viral TikTok, the man is congratulated and applauded as a new Kia owner. But things take a quick turn as police arrive. “Wait a minute, what’s going on here?” he can be heard saying as he’s being handcuffed.
The unlucky scammer was charged with “Forgery $60,000-$250,000” and “Attempted Theft of Property $60,000-$250,000.” Plus, he’ll probably need a ride and a real ID should he post the $50,000 bond to get out of jail.