The suspect even posed for a celebratory photo with dealership employees just moments before the police arrived
Dealerships aren’t exempt from people trying to scam or steal from them. On August 10, at Gossett Kia in Memphis, Tennessee, employees sensed something was off with a particular customer. They contacted the police and helped orchestrate the suspect’s arrest right in the showroom. The way the dealership staff handled the situation was almost comical.
The suspect, 63-year-old William Hayes, allegedly used a fake Tennessee driver’s license under the name of a deceased person. He tried to purchase not one, but two Kia Tellurides using that identification, with a combined value of $158,885.
Dealer employees and authorities allowed Hayes to go through the entire purchasing process. They didn’t just stop at signing the paperwork; the dealer even had Hayes pose for a congratulatory photo and video before the police moved in.
The video captures the moments leading up to the arrest. As police handcuff Hayes, he calmly says, “Wait a minute, what’s going on here?” Hayes is now facing charges of forgery and attempted theft of property valued between $60,000 and $250,000. He is currently in jail with a $50,000 bond.
As noted earlier, scammers occasionally try to outsmart dealers with varying levels of success. Naturally, some might see this as karma, given that dealers often attempt to outmaneuver customers.
In this case, the Kia dealer was charging around $79,000 for each Telluride, even though the most expensive trim of this SUV has an MSRP of under $54,000. It’s clear that Gossett added a significant amount in extra fees to reach that price.
