SheddingSkin

Watch EYEWITNESS NEWS 9 (WFTV) ACTION 9 on Friday Feb 6, 2004 at 6 and 11 PM for the story that will be airing concerning this situation and concerning this Holler Dealership !

This is the story that was submitted to the FBI and Casselberry Police department:

Last year in April 2002, my friend and I went to The Holler Oldsmobile, Mitsubishi, Kia dealership located at 1970 Semoran Blvd in Casselberry, Florida. I was there to look at vehicles and possibly purchase a vehicle if I was given a great deal.

A man by the name of Hector C. was the sales and leasing consultant. He had me fill out paperwork that involved pulling my credit report as well as information about my employment history and other personal information. I signed the form with my signature so Hector Colon could get my credit score. Hector C. also made a copy of my ID/ Drivers license.

Hector C. came back a few minutes later to notify me of my credit score. Hector C. told me that I had perfect credit and that I could get any vehicle that I wanted. While he was explaining to me that he could “hook” me up with any vehicle in the lot, I overheard him telling a few of his associates how perfect my credit was and that I would have no problem purchasing a vehicle. I thought it was very unprofessional of him to tell his associates about my credit status and I decided not to purchase a vehicle from the Mitsubishi Dealership.

Before I left the dealership, I told Hector C. that I had no intention of purchasing a vehicle from Mitsubishi and that I would go elsewhere to purchase a vehicle! He gave me his business card and said, “Since your credit is so perfect, would you be willing to help someone else purchase a vehicle?” I told him, “No, that I have no interest in helping someone else purchase a vehicle”. I felt it was a very peculiar question for him to ask to which I said, “NO” again and I left.

For the next few weeks, Hector C., kept calling me everyday and leaving messages for me to come back to purchase a vehicle. I had no intentions of ever going back to Holler Mitsubishi in Casselberry, since I had already purchased a vehicle from another dealership.

In October 2003, I was notified by GC Services (Collection Agency) that I had a collection action pending in my name. I was told that a person named Jason T. purchased the vehicle from the Holler Mitsubishi dealership in June of 2002 and that I was the co-signer of that vehicle which was purchased for $50,000. I do not know a “Jason T.” nor have I heard of a “Jason T.” until the day that the collection agency contacted me. Neither have I signed any paperwork/contract making me a co-signer for anyone!

The vehicle was purchased in June of 2002, the irony of it all is I moved to Denver, Colorado in May of 2002 and I have not been back to Orlando, Florida since! I have not been physically present in Orlando since the end of May 2002.

GC Services (Collection Agency) gave me the information of the vehicle that was purchased in my name that was sold to Jason Torres. The vehicle is a 2002 Mitsubishi Montero Limited Edition with the Vin# #############. I was also notified by the collection agency that Jason T. had wrecked the vehicle and told the collection agency that he, Jason T., didn't have to pay for the vehicle because I had co-signed for him and I am responsible to pay for the damaged vehicle!

I will state again that I never co-signed this loan nor do I know Jason T!

The collection agency gave me Jason T's personal information to include his Social Security Number and address so I could report this to the police, which I have done. Jason T's SSN is ###-##-### and resides at Orlando Florida 32801. I notified the Casselberry Police department in Casselberry, Florida and gave them Jason T's information. I also placed a fraud alert on Equifax.com. The Casselberry Police Department told me that the FBI is investigating the Holler Mitsubishi Dealership for Identity Fraud and that I am not the only victim that this has happened to.

I know that the Holler Mitsubishi Dealership/Car Salesmen and employees used my personal information without my consent to sell that vehicle to Jason T. as well as forge my name as co-signer!

I am currently trying to get a copy of that contract that sold the vehicle to Jason T. but I have been having difficulty obtaining a copy of the contract. I called the Casselberry/Winter Park Mitsubishi dealership and their corporate office and have still not received the copy of the contract. When I called them again to obtain a copy, they are making all these excuses not to give me the copy!
And at times they have even hung up on me!

I am still trying to get a copy of that contract to this day!!!

Found out that the FBI is investigating and the FBI has arrested 18 workers of Mitsubishi because of a Management Scam...the employees were using peoples' information who had perfect credit to sell vehicles to those who do not have good credit.

I am being turned down for many things because a $50,000 charge off is reflected on my credit report. Also a collection letter was sent to me for a collection of over $50,000.

I would like to take action against the dealership and sue them.

I need help and your assistance is crucial.



Note: I am still currently trying to get a copy of the contract that shows that my signature was forged. This is what a representatative of Holler wrote me:

Mr. Morales -
The new law you are talking about is not yet in effect.

Once it goes into effect, it permits the business entity to require proof of the victims identification and an affidavit of fact acceptable to the business entity establishing that he/she is the victim of identity theft before it provides a copy of the contract to the victim. To date, we have copies of the police report you gave to Gabe of the FBI, but not the requested notarized affadvit I forwarded to you some time ago.

The portion of the law that deals with giving the victim a copy will not go into effect for 180 days after the date of enactment. Meanwhile, the Gramm-Leech Bliley Act prohibits us from giving you a copy because it contains information regarding the co-buyer that we are not permitted to release. The new statute, once that part becomes effective, deals with this conflict and purports to permit the release to the victim.

Once again we apologize for the inconvenience, we're not trying to be difficult. But at this time, we are just unable to release any documents.



HOLLER AUTOMOTIVE GROUP




**************************************************
********************


This is what I wrote them:

Businesses are required to provide records of fraudulent activity to consumers. Here's another longtime complaint of identity theft victims: They would try to get proof that somebody else had signed a credit application or charge slip, and the merchant wouldn't cough up the records. Now businesses are required to do so if the victim presents a police report.

According to this NEW LAW, you have to provide me a copy of that contract now!!!!!! An attorney even told me!!!

http://moneycentral.msn.com/content...vacy/P68427.asp

I want a copy of that contract now!!!!!

-SSgt Edge Crusher

*They already sent a collection letter to my address! They wont send me a copy of the contract that has my signature forged. They violated the Fair Debts and Collections Act!!!

Edge Crusher
80230, Florida
U.S.A.

http://ripoffreport.com/view.asp?id=77900

Hellraiser

iTrader: (1)

dayum!

I am sorry to hear about that!

I hope everything gets taken care of - why do the bad things always happen to good people?!?!?!

SheddingSkin

Here is more news involving the Holler Dealership and ID Theft ring!

http://ripoffreport.com/reports/ripoff77900.htm

Rebuttal Consumer Comment
Submitted: 3/30/2004 10:37:11 AM Modified: 3/30/2004 12:31:42 PM



This Dealership was exposed on the news!!!



If I were you or any of the victims, I would sue the pants off this dealership and make sure that they dont do this to anyone ever again!! Make them an example that they shouldnt screw with people's livelihood and trusted information!

This is the link for the news segment that aired a few months ago:

http://www.wftv.com/news/2828661/detail.html

And this is the story:

CASSELBERRY, Fla. -- Channel Nine investigated an identify theft ring that operated out of a popular Central Florida car dealership. WFTV reporter Josh Einiger has uncovered a scheme that targets people with good credit to co-buy cars for people who have bad credit.

The trick is the co-buyers have no idea they've bought a car, unless a collection agency comes calling. Our investigation learned it was common practice at one local dealership.

What if a salesman takes your credit and uses it to buy someone else a car? We found it was happening to several Central Florida residents without their knowledge.

At 240 pounds of pure muscle, Air Force Sergeant Jerryme Morales is not one to mess with. The accomplished weightlifter can bench press two people, but these days there's a weight on his shoulders he simply can not handle.

"I feel like I'm being, it's like, I just feel like I'm being raped, you know?" he says.

It has been almost two years since he walked into Holler Mitsubishi, with perfect credit, and met salesman Hector Colon. Morales says Colon was just too pushy.

"I thought something was strange about that and I told him I'm not gonna buy a car from him. I'm gonna go elsewhere for a car," explains Morales. "And then he said something fishy after that. He said, 'Would you be willing to help somebody buy a car, since you have perfect credit?' And I looked at him like, huh?"

Morales, an Air Force accountant, thought little of it and walked out. He transferred to Colorado and spent a year serving his country in Pakistan. It wasn't until October, when he returned to Denver, that he opened some disturbing mail. "They said, you owe us $50,000."

In June 2002, Holler Mitsubishi sold a Montero to a man named Jason Torres. Although they'd never met, Morales somehow became an unwitting co-signer. Now, more than a year later, Torres was in default and Morales was on the hook.

"I was not in Orlando; I was not even in Florida in June 2002. I never even left the state of Colorado from May to December," he explains.

Morales called the cops and eventually got through to the FBI, who told him he'd been only one of many victims of a large-scale identity theft ring at the Holler dealership, where former Holler salesman Edwin Lomonaco witnessed it all.

"The manager came in, called everybody upstairs and said, 'I need you guys to sell a car. I don't care what you need to do; I don't care if you need to cheat or lie or steal, whatever you need to do you need to sell a car,'" explains Lomonaco.

The ex-cop says the intense pressure to sell turned some colleagues to fraud. "They were selling so many of these vehicles and making an extreme amount of money, and I didn't know how they were doing this."

Eyewitness News has uncovered about two dozen internal Holler invoices. All involve salesman Hector Colon. All involve buyers with bad credit. All involve co-buyers, some of whom had no idea their good credit was helping a perfect stranger buy a car.

In many cases, their addresses on the forms were just plain wrong. For instance, on one, 1412 Hernandez Street simply does not exist. We did find 1937 South Semoran, but it's really a storage closet.

And then there's the case of Yasmine Gonzalez, a 26-year-old with no driver's license. Her address exists not in Orlando, like the invoice says, but in Altamonte Springs, where she no longer lives.

But we did find her co-buyer, 54-year-old Jami McCutcheon, a pastor's wife from Oviedo.

"Do you know Yasmine Gonzalez?" we asked her.

"I've never heard of a Yasmine Gonzalez," she said.

"Well, you helped her buy a car," we told her.

"Yes, I'm very nice," she replied, laughing.

She and her husband, Stuart, may not know Yasmine, but they do remember Hector Colon. They almost bought a car from him at around the time Jerryme Morales stopped by. They also walked out in disgust.

A few months later, the FBI called them and told them a stranger had stolen their credit.

"I don't know whatever happened to good, right and honorable. You know it doesn't seem to exist too much anymore," says Jami.

"A crook, a dishonest crook, that's who they are. And they prey on the good intentions of others, and the sincerity and honesty of others. I think they ought to be put behind bars," says her husband, Stuart.

Fortunately, for the McCutcheons, the Feds got to them early enough and they averted a credit crisis. But halfway across the country, in Denver, Jerryme Morales is not so lucky.

"I'm gonna be turned down for everything until I get this taken care of. It makes me sad, but it makes me upset even more," he says. "I can't buy a refrigerator. That's crazy, huh?!"

Our investigation has concluded that, while some employees were involved in the identity theft ring, others were not. As for the FBI, they won't confirm or deny an investigation even exists.

Meanwhile, an attorney representing the Holler dealerships tells us it was the Hollers who first called in the FBI.

"They're very disappointed that anything like this would happen. They're certainly very disappointed that anyone would try to take advantage of their dealerships," explains attorney Frank Hamner. "Certainly very upset that any of their customers feel their privacy has been invaded, or that there's any wrongdoing on the part of the dealership. Again, that's why they initiated the investigation and are cooperating and will prosecute anyone involved to the fullest extent."

Copyright 2004 by wftv.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

It's funny that they didnt even apologize or try to fix the victim's credit!!!!

Richard - Orlando, Florida
U.S.A.



Rebuttal Consumer Comment
Submitted: 6/21/2004 8:36:33 AM Modified: 6/21/2004 10:45:35 PM



ID theft ring caught!!!!



On June 17 and 18, they aired on TV here in Orlando the bust which involved Hector Colon and a bunch of other felons.

By the way it sounds, Hector Colon is responsible for collecting all the information and allowing vehicles to be sold off the 2 dealership lots. He was a Used Car Manager at Coggin Honda where there were vehicles purchased fraudulently and also was a salesman at Holler Mitsubishi in Casselberry where vehicles were sold fraudulently as well!

Coincidence that both these dealerships had fraudulently sold vehicles? No!! Hector Colon was the inside man!

The news said he was only going to be given 8 years in jail!! Where is the justice? Rachel Lynne Opsahl, daughter of a well known news anchor here in Orlando will probably get out of jail with a slap on the wrist!

Here are the stories:
Officials arrest 12 in probe of ID theft
--------------------

Suspects are accused of stealing papers that were used to buy cars and homes.

By Henry Pierson Curtis and Pedro Ruz Gutierrez
Sentinel Staff Writers

June 18, 2004

An identity-theft scheme that duped two Central Florida car dealerships out of 150 cars in recent years produced a dozen arrests Thursday.

Along the way, the thieves upended the credit of more than 60 residents whose stolen identities were used to buy the missing vehicles, according to court records.

"Without a doubt, this is one of the boldest rings we have investigated," said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Klindt, who characterized the case as the largest of its kind between Fort Myers and Jacksonville.

Agents say the investigation continues to expand, and court records show it includes heroin trafficking and drug dealing from homes bought with false documents. No drug charges have been filed.

The bogus documents came from insiders at two car dealerships, who copied Social Security numbers and other personal identification items from prospective buyers for use by the ring, Klindt said at a news conference in Orlando with representatives of the FBI, the Florida Highway Patrol and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

A federal grand jury in Orlando indicted 15 suspects this week in cases from 2002 and 2003. One suspect already was in jail on related charges. Authorities are looking for two more.

Thursday's roundup included Hector Colon, identified in court records as a former salesman at Holler Mitsubishi on Semoran Boulevard and a former used car manager at Coggin Honda on South Orange Blossom Trail. He was arrested on several charges, including conspiracy to produce false documents.

"We're delighted with today's indictment," said Holler Mitsubishi spokeswoman Lori Booker. The dealership's financial losses, she said, were "too many zeros to mention."

Ring members used laptop computers to produce bogus Social Security cards and drivers licenses from Florida and Puerto Rico. They then used those false documents to qualify for the no-cash-down vehicle purchases, according to court records. In addition, four houses in Orlando, Sanford and Deltona were bought with false documents and occupied until creditors repossessed them, according to court records and interviews. They also used the bogus IDs to buy computers, cell phones and other items.

Unlike many large car-theft cases, none of the missing vehicles were shipped overseas or out of state for sale, officials said. Klindt said many were used for joyrides and then abandoned. Some have been recovered, but authorities Thursday said they didn't know how many.

Initially prosecuted in state court, the charges were dropped last fall so the case could shift to federal court, which has stiffer penalties. That led some of the defendants to think the case was over.

"The majority of them thought that by the case being dismissed . . . that somehow we had bungled up the case and that they had gotten away with it," FHP Trooper Jorge Diaz said late Thursday afternoon.

Identity-theft investigator Diaz began the probe last summer when a supervisor at the tax collector's office in Kissimmee spotted motorcycle buyers using bogus drivers licenses at Power Sports. Ring members bought five motorcycles from that dealership.

The indictment identified 25 automobiles and five motorcycles, but Klindt said more than 150 cars appear to have been taken.

Lewis Antonio Corporan, who is named as ringleader in the indictment, was arrested last month by FBI Agent Gabriel Maldonado Jr. on multiple counts of document and mail fraud.

Court records show Corporan also is a suspect in an armed home invasion in Seminole County in which a Lexus SUV leased with a phony credit card was used as a getaway vehicle. He has not been charged in the home invasion.

Andrew Vasquez, who is being held at the Seminole County Jail, previously told investigators he helped Corporan rob the home of a large amount of heroin and jewelry.

Vasquez, who awaits trial on charges of armed robbery, car theft and identity theft, told investigators that Corporan paid people to get credit reports and bank-account information, and used them to make computer-generated documents. Homes were bought with phony documents and used for drug dealing until they were abandoned, he said. Vasquez is not named as a member of the ring indicted Thursday.

Also arrested Thursday were Luis Enrique Collazo, Mariela Rivera, Nehemias Vale, Luz Celena Arriaga, Raymond Junior Gonzalez, Edwin J. Ramos, Ivan Legarreta, Jennifer Nicole Day, Rachel Lynn Opsahl, who is the daughter of WFTV news anchor Bob Opsahl, Yvette Rodriguez and Armando Torres. Two others, George Saldana and Alejandro Pagan, remain at large.

The indictments charge them with conspiracy to produce false identification and with wire and mail fraud. Most of those arrested Thursday were released on $25,000 bond.

Members of the ring could face at least 10 years in federal prison.

Henry Pierson Curtis can be reached at 407-420-5257 or hcurtis@orlandosentinel.com. Pedro Ruz Gutierrez can be reached at 407-420-5620 or pruz@orlandosentinel.com.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news...-home-headlines

Another story from WFTV (channel 9):
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- Investigators are calling it one of the biggest cases of identity theft in Central Florida history with at least 60 victims. After two years of looking into it, they unsealed the federal indictment on Thursday, and put a halt to it with a series of early morning raids.

It was a full-fledged takedown. A man accused of using a stranger's good credit to buy cars, and then sell them, tried to get away, but highway patrol officers boxed him in and caught their man.

Along with the FBI and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, they cuffed 13 of 15 suspects Thursday. All of them are part of a complex and bold scam in which the men and women allegedly used other peoples' names and information to buy more than a million dollars in cars, jewelry, motorcycles and even homes.

Within hours, the group appeared in federal court, facing charges that could land them each 25 years behind bars.

"And, without a doubt, this is the boldest ring that we have prosecuted," says Jim Klindt, U.S. Attorney's office.

The scam, investigators say, was scary because of how it was pulled off. In many cases, a car salesman at the Winter Park Holler Mitsubishi dealership, they claim, would photocopy the driver's licenses of customers that went for test drives.

Soon, he and the other suspects were making new IDs for themselves using the customer's information, and spending plenty. Investigators say they bought more than 150 vehicles in all, ruining the credit of countless victims.

"I guess what strikes me in this, and it's probably the same in most ID theft cases, but it's just so blatant in how easy this was," says Klindt.

Holler cooperated with the authorities and the suspect in the case was fired once they learned about it. However, the investigation is far from over, with more arrests on the way and, unfortunately, more victims likely to come forward.

http://www.wftv.com/news/3430915/detail.html

Another story from WESH (Channel 2 news):
Investigators Bust Identity Theft Ring
POSTED: 10:04 am EDT June 18, 2004
UPDATED: 10:13 am EDT June 18, 2004

WINTER PARK, Fla. -- Dozens of victims of identity theft are celebrating news that the alleged thieves have been indicted.

Idel and Leonard Davy said they discovered someone had bought a new car last summer at a Winter Park dealership using Leonard Davy's stolen identity, WESH NewsChannel 2 reported.

It turned out the Davys were victims of an alleged identity theft ring that purchased over $1 million in goods.

"I have to walk to work, and he's driving around with a $34,000 2003 car. Yes, I was in tears," Idel Davy said.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Orlando announced Thursday that 15 people had been indicted in the case following a year-long investigation.

http://www.wesh.com/news/3433734/detail.html

Another news story from WOFL (Fox 35):
A dozen people arrested on charges of fraud, stealing identities
(06.18.04) — (Orlando-AP) -- Authorities have arrested a dozen people who they say were involved in a scheme that bought as many as 150 cars, five motorcycles, four homes and many other items using stolen identities. Prosecutors say insiders at two car dealerships copied Social Security numbers and other personal identification from prospective buyers. According to court records, members of the identity-theft ring then produced fake identification cards from Florida and Puerto Rico, which they used to qualify for the cars, homes and other goods. Prosecutors say the houses were repossessed, and many of the cars were only used for joy rides before they were abandoned. The 12 are indicted on charges of conspiracy to produce false identification, wire fraud and mail fraud. They could face at least ten years in federal prison.

http://www.wofl.com/_ezpost/data/5716.shtml

From the looks of it, it all started out from the 2 Dealerships because of this one man named Hector Colon. The dealerships should have had better safety measures and knew something was going on especially with high sales manifesting when sales were down in the prior months!

I hope the people convicted get a long prison sentence! And the people who got away with the Vehicles such as Jason Torres and Yasmine Gonzalez get a prison sentence too for being accomplices for ilegal crimes! The people that the salesmen sold the vehicles fraudulently to should be put behind bars!!!

Both these dealerships Holler and Coggin should have had better security measures. It's all their fault why this big scam has happenned!

John - Orlando, Florida
U.S.A.

Kid Lancer 7

iTrader: (7)

Mann... Your gonna be so rich after you sue the butt cheeks off theese people!! Can You Say Evolution MR! DOnt worry about what the dealership says you can or can't do. Sue their @$$es NOW! Their going down!! and they stole your identity.. You should have NO MERCY for these people.. get your lawyer and cut off their heads!... if i was in your shoes... id say "this means war!"

blk02oz

iTrader: (3)

^^^^ Yeah what he said !

NOVA EVO

WERD!!!

SheddingSkin

Its really not about the money but about the principle. Holler Mitsubishi should have had better safegaurds against this!! They should have had audits monthly to prevent frauds as a way of checks and balances.

When they saw their sales skyrocket, they should have known something went awry!

There is no way in hell Hector Colon worked by himself in the dealership! The financial closer who did the paperwork had to be involved as well to notorize those documents!

I dont like how Holler Mitsubishi treated me when I needed to get my credit fixed. Yes, they finally fixed my credit only after my lawyer filed a lawsuit!!

Funny, I contacted the media to help me with this matter but did Holler Mitsubishi apologize to me or fix my credit or cooperate with me and help me get a copy of the contract that sold the vehicle to Jason Torres that had my signature forged even after the media aired the story of the Identity Theft Ring that orignitaed at Holler? NO THEY DIDNT!!! They only fixed my credit after the lawsuit was filed by my lawyer!!

This dealership is very shady and I hope they do get taught a lesson on what the ethical treatment for victims should be for a crime that their employees have done to me and countless others!

Its not about the money but about the pain and sufferring this has caused me and others who are also being tirned down when applying for credit and being harrassed by collection agencies and wondering how you are going to pay for things when you dont have money or cant apply for a a damn credit card because a damn $50,000 dollar charge off is on your damn credit!!

Its about their own employees not giving a damn to help me when I needed help from them to help me get my credit fixed and to obtain that fraudulent contract they said they would give me so I in turn can turn it in to the Collection Agency to dispute that it wasnt my signature and that this was fraud by Holler Mitsubishi employees!

Funny how the Holler Controller wanted me to sign a statement saying someone else (not Holler Mitsubishi) stole my identity and used my credit to buy a car. They told me that the only way to get my credit fixed and get a copy of that contract was to sign a document stating that someone else not Holler stole my information! I told the Holler Controller that I wont sign anything from them without my lawyers consent! They were trying to make me sign a statement that someone stole my identity but I didnt sign it for the fact that if I signed that paperwork it would take the responsibility off of Holler. It was Holler's own employees that used my identity and sold a vehicle to someone I didnt even know! My information wasnt stolen..it was used by the employees to sell cars! I wasnt the only victim of the dealership!

Funny how almost after 2 years since that the vehicle was put on my damn credit report fraudulently that they fix my credit after my lawyer filed a lawsuit! I didnt have to sign anything from Holler!! Holler's Controller is a liar!!!

I hope this dealership pays greatly for what it's own employees has done to me and countless others!

This dealership was never concerned about my situation or my welfare when my credit was ruined because of their employees. (Holler had an internal Identity Theft ring)

They fired most of people involved with the ID Theft but those they fired were employed by other dealerships and did the same thing..fraudulently selling vehicles!!! Some of these salesmen sold SSN numbers and personal information to others!

Why didnt the Holler Group notify other dealerships about these corrupt salesman after Holler fired them? Why were these salesman free to keep comitting crimes against people and other businesses?

Why is Holler Mitsubishi trying to cover up things and make themselves look like they are the "victim"? They had escalating sales when and an all time record of sales when this was happening! Why wasnt an audit being performed?

The truth of the matter was that vehicles were being sold and salesmen were getting comission....a blind eye was turned!! And it looks like management was involved in this! The salesmen couldnt sell a car by themselves! A financial closer has to be involved to "close" the deal or sell of that vehicle.

The reason why I had to get the media and a lawyer involved was because no one at that dealership would help me get my credit fixed. I would either get a phone hung up on me or they would lie to me telling me that they would send me a contract that had my signature forged but didnt send me that copy!

This dealership never showed any remorse for what they did. They didnt take any action to help me until I got a lawyer!!!

I am sorry for venting but this whole ordeal caused me so much stress and pain. Life just isnt hard enough that they made it harder for me and countless others!!!

MYEVOVIII

iTrader: (35)

As a former victim of identity theft I completly understand where your coming from this suck's. I know there was a dealership in Ga that was also shut down due to them using dead people's credit to co-sign for cars. How sick is that....

SheddingSkin

that is sick!!

I dont mean to be cruel but in my opinion, a business that allowed this to happen should be shut down for the fact that because of this ordeal, this is the largest case of identity theft in Central Florida history!

I talked to another victim of identity theft..come to find out she went to Holler Mitssubishi and did a credit application check to see what she could get financed for (just as I did). She ended up not buying a vehicle.

A few months later she got harrasing calls from a collection agency! Someone opened a bank account in her name using her information!

Come to find out when I did talk to the reporter who did her story that she also went to Holler Mitsubishi like I did to look at vehicles where crooked salesmen got her information and abused it!

In my case, they used my information and used me as a cosigner but in her case they used her information to open up a damn checking account!!

Her is her story that was aired on channel 9 news in Orlando:

http://www.wftv.com/news/3452595/detail.html
ORLANDO, Fla. -- A man experienced years of harassing phone calls all because his phone number ended up on some counterfeit checks. The man has no idea how it happened to him, but Channel 9 found he wasn't the only person being targeted.

A series of mysterious phone calls led an Orlando man to an identity theft case and a victim, whose name is being used for thousands of dollars in fraud.

Sheriff's deputies are preparing to unlock a storage unit along South Semoran this weekend to find out what's inside. It could be stolen merchandise from this ID theft case.

For two years, Steve Nadiak has been receiving strange phone calls about phony checks in the name of Victoria Brantley.

"It's a pain in the neck," Steve says. "You get phone calls on the weekends. You get them at 9 10 o'clock at night."

He called Channel 9 when he couldn't solve his mystery. He was getting collections calls from K-Mart, Walgreens, Publix and more. The problem was, the phony checks had his home number and phony driver's license number, and a name that didn't match either, Victoria Brantley.

Check fraud experts say that's not uncommon.

"The more twists a suspect throws into the equation, the more difficult it is to get caught, and that's the whole idea, not to get caught," explains Det. Thomas McQuade, Orlando Police Department.

Channel 9 tracked down the real Victoria Brantley on Wednesday, only to find out the 22-year-old is a victim of ID theft, getting collection notices every day, and she doesn't even have a checking account.

"Every day, like three a day. It's to the point where I know that there is going to be something in the mail," she says.

Now, Victoria spends her days sending dozens of letters to merchants who think she owes them thousands of dollars.

"I'm just trying to find the person who's doing it. I'm trying to solve it so it doesn't hurt me in the end," she says.
Copyright 2004 by wftv.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed

SheddingSkin

Also I want to add that the gentleman in the story who was getting harrassing phone calls from collection agencies, Steve Nadiak, also went to a Holler car dealership as well as the young lady!!

Our situations are interconnected!!

SheddingSkin

This is a story that was published in the Orlando Sentinel on July 19, 2003! Come to find out that after Hector Colon supposedly got fired from Holler Mitsubishi, he went to Coggin Honda where he sold vehicles as well. Come to find out Coggin Honda had cars that were sold fraudulently as well!

Can any of you see that Hector Colon was involved at this dealership too?

Here is the story:
Tip brings ID-theft arrests
A tip from a sharp-eyed supervisor in a tax collector's office has led to the arrests of six people suspected of using stolen identities to scam dealerships out of cars and motorcycles.

Ed Leo, who works in the drivers license section in Osceola County, was trying to process a title for a motorcycle bought at PowerSports of Kissimmee. He discovered the drivers license submitted by the motorcycle's owner was bogus. Then he found two more, also for motorcycles from PowerSports.

"When you look at drivers licenses all day long, you develop a pretty keen eye," Leo said.

On June 30, Leo notified Jorge Diaz, a Florida Highway Patrol trooper who specializes in drivers-license fraud and identity theft.

Working with PowerSports, Diaz and Osceola County deputy sheriffs set up a sting at the dealership to catch a member of the theft ring who had arranged to buy a vehicle.

On July 2, a man whose drivers license said his name was "FidelElmundoCastro" showed up to buy a new Suzuki. After completing the paperwork, Diaz, posing as an employee, confirmed the identity was fraudulent and arrested Edwin Ramos, 43.

Diaz said Ramos cooperated with investigators, told them how the ring operated and identified other members.

In addition to PowerSports, Diaz said the ring also purchased cars fraudulently from Coggin Honda of Orlando on Orange Blossom Trail.

As of Friday, investigators had recovered six cars and four motorcycles worth more than $200,000. They are still looking for two cars and a motorcycle, and four more suspects.

No charges have been filed against any employees of the dealerships.

Here's how Diaz described the scheme:

Ring members would use their own photo but somebody else's name and Social Security number to produce a fake Florida drivers license on a laptop computer.

They also made bogus Social Security cards, insurance cards and Puerto Rican drivers licenses.

A member of the ring would take a copy of the fake license into the dealership that offered no-money-down financing and arrange to buy a vehicle.

When the dealership checked the credit report of the real person, they found he or she had good credit and authorized the sale.

The ring member then drove off with a new car or motorcycle without paying a cent. They planned to sell them on the street, Diaz said.

Diaz said he didn't know how they got the names and Social Security numbers, but he said most of the identity theft victims had extremely good credit.

He said managers at the two dealerships told him they usually are more careful when verifying the identity of a customer. Calls to Coggin Honda and PowerSports were not returned Friday night.

"These people were accepting this information," Diaz said.

"The employees were just being lax."

Kim Miller, a spokeswoman with the FHP in Orlando, said this is one of the largest cases of auto and identity theft she can remember her agency handling.

Each FHP troop has an officer assigned to handle identity and drivers-license fraud.

"People don't realize how easy it is to have their identities stolen," Miller said.

Investigators found three laptop computers they say were used to produce the fake documents.

Diaz said he has contacted only a few of the victims of the identify theft, who were unaware of what happened.

Six people were arrested on charges of grand theft over $20,000 and credit by fraud. Diaz said more charges may be filed.

In addition to Ramos, the other suspects are identified as Lewis. A. Corporan, 37, Luis Collazo, 30, Jennifer Nicole Day, 23, Mariela Rivera, 23, and Rachael Lynn Opsahl, 20. Opsahl is the daughter of longtime WFTV new anchor Bob Opsahl. All are from Orlando.

Diaz said his investigation is continuing.

"Every day that has gone by, I have learned something new about what this ring was doing," Diaz said.

"It's probably going to take a couple of months to figure it all out."

SheddingSkin

Look at this! Another story of ID THEFT that happenned at Coggin Honda where Hector Colon worked!! Can any of you see the crrelation? Hector Colon worked at Holler Mitsubishi where he was "let go". Then was allowed to work at Coggin Honda as a sales manager! Why didnt Holler Mitsubishi notify Coggin Honda of Hector Colon?

Here is the story:

Published on Saturday, August 2, 2003
in the Orlando Sentinel



Area identity thieves cast far-reaching net, police say
JoAnna Musser bought a $28,000 car at Coggin Honda of Orlando.

Amyn Ladak used a Target credit card for $2,147 worth of merchandise.

Shakib Kamal's good credit allowed him to buy two new luxury vehicles at local dealerships.

But none of them knew a thing about their purchases.

They were three of about 120 victims of a sophisticated identity- and auto-theft ring operating in Central Florida, investigators said.

Six people have been arrested and charged in Orange and Osceola counties, and more arrests are expected, the Florida Highway Patrol said. Investigators said the number of vehicles obtained fraudulently may be as high as 80. They also think the stolen identities were used to open credit-card and cell-phone accounts and buy merchandise at a number of local stores.

"It might take a year before they work this stuff out," said Jorge Diaz, an FHP trooper specializing in drivers-license fraud who has been working the case for weeks. "We're still trying to connect all the dots." The FBI also is involved because of the scope of the case, Diaz said.

At the end of May, Musser, 28, bought a 2003 Hyundai Tiburon at the Lakeland Automall. Musser, the night assignment editor at Central Florida News 13, had been trying for six months to buy a new car and was thrilled with the $16,000 purchase. About 20 days later, a woman used Musser's identity to buy a new car at Coggin Honda using the no-money-down financing plan, according to authorities.

"The whole car thing, it just baffles me," Musser said. "I don't know how they got my name and Social Security number. If the dealership pulled up my credit report and saw I just bought a car 20 days ago, you would think they would say, 'What do you need another new car for?' "

The woman, identified by Diaz as Rachael Opsahl, presented a copy of a drivers license bearing her photo and Musser's name. After a dealership employee checked Musser's credit and completed the paperwork, Opsahl drove away with a new Honda, Diaz said. In addition to the new car, Musser's credit report also showed that her identity was used to open a credit-card account at Wal-Mart with a $950 limit and to open eight cell-phone accounts.

Police said members of the ring stole the identities of people with good credit and then created drivers licenses, Social Security cards and other documents to buy cars at Coggin Honda and motorcycles at PowerSports of Kissimmee in June and July.

Many of the victims live in other states and Puerto Rico, investigators said, and may not yet be aware their identities were stolen.

Investigators are still trying to piece together how the identities were stolen in the first place.

'Information is out there'

There are a number of ways thieves can obtain sensitive personal information, said LouAnn Busch-White, the president of Identity Theft Management, an Orlando advocacy firm for victims.

They dig through garbage and steal mail, bank statements, wallets, purses and even Palm Pilots, she said. "In this day and age of technology, the information is out there," said Busch-White who started the company in 1997 after she was a victim of identity theft. "You can't even get cable without giving your Social Security number."

For the third consecutive year, identity theft has topped the U.S. government's list of consumer complaints, with about 162,000 people victimized in 2002, according to the Federal Trade Commission. In Florida about 11,000 people reported their identities stolen last year -- the sixth highest in the nation.

When 37-year-old Amyn Ladak returned to his Orlando home in mid-July after a vacation, he was shocked by a letter that said a charge account had been opened at Target in his name. From his credit report, he learned that someone had charged $2,147 to the Target card. In addition, $1,485 was charged under his name at Whitehall Co. Jewellers, $526 at Wal-Mart, and three cell-phone accounts were opened at AT&T Wireless.

"I don't know what to do; I can't sleep," said Ladak who works at the Altamonte Mall. "How can I protect myself in the future?" In February, Ladak's car with his income-tax form inside was stolen from his apartment. He thinks that is how thieves were able to steal his identity.

When law-enforcement officers in Orange County arrested Lewis A. Corporan -- one of the suspects in the identity-theft ring -- they found a copy of a Florida drivers license with Ladak's name and Corporan's picture on it, Diaz said.

Corporan has been charged with stealing identities to buy cars in the past, court records show.

Last summer, while vacationing in Orlando, Shakib Kamal, 27, lost his wallet while getting off a bus at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. When the Pennsylvania resident returned home, he replaced his drivers license and thought no more about it.

Then in November, an Orange County sheriff's detective following leads in a Seminole County home invasion discovered that the suspects were driving luxury cars registered to Kamal.

Kamal, who drives a Mitsubishi Eclipse, was aghast to find out he was the listed owner in Florida of a silver two-door Honda S2000 sports car worth $37,156 and a black Lexus LX-470 sport utility vehicle.

"I didn't know I could afford two luxury cars plus my own car," Kamal said. "It was quite shocking."

Investigators said Corporan -- one of the home-invasion suspects -- had used Kamal's identity to obtain the Honda sports car and the Lexus. According to an affidavit by Orange County Sheriff's Detective Rick Welty, Corporan used his own photo on Kamal's Pennsylvania license, Kamal's Social Security card and a fake Puerto Rico drivers license in Kamal's name on the Honda credit application.

In addition to Corporan, 37, and Opsahl, 20, who is the daughter of WFTV news anchor Bob Opsahl, authorities also arrested Luis Collazo, 30, Jennifer Nicole Day, 23, Mariela Rivera, 23, and Edwin Ramos, 43. All are from Orlando and have been charged with grand theft and credit by fraud. Corporan remains in the Orange County Jail, while the other five are released on bail.

The arrests followed a tip from an employee in the Osceola tax collectors office. Diaz set up a sting July 2 to arrest Ramos, who was trying to buy a motorcycle at PowerSports. Ramos cooperated with investigators and told them how the identity-theft ring worked.

Diaz said no charges have been filed against employees of Coggin Honda or PowerSports. However, Charlie Comm, the president of Coggin Automotive Group said two employees at Coggin Honda were disciplined for the way they conducted the sale of vehicles to members of the ring. "These individuals have been very seriously spoken with," said Comm, who would not say whether the employees had been fired. "The investigators have told us they don't think these employees knew anything, and I would rather not go into the details of what transpired within the company."

The general manager of PowerSports of Kissimmee would not comment on any details of the investigation.

Comm said his dealerships' policy is for sales representatives to see the customer's actual license when a vehicle is purchased. Investigators said that policy was not followed when cars were sold to members of the identity-theft ring who produced only a copy of a drivers license.

"They always used a Xeroxed copy; they never presented a physical license," Diaz said.

'Learned my lesson'

Musser, the assignment editor, said she is grateful she learned her identity was stolen before any more damage was done to her credit.

"I've learned my lesson," she said, vowing to check her credit report more often. "But why should I get punished for having good credit?"

SheddingSkin

Makes me wonder if the gentleman, Shakib Kamal, who drives a Mitsubishi Eclipse also went to Holler Mitsubishi. I wonder if he bought his Eclipse there and that was how his identity was stolen?

purecoda

iTrader: (6)

I appreciate the heads up but something about you only having OT posts in this thread really make me feel like something else is going on. So I have to say this...

I took my Lancer to Holler Mitsubishi on Semaron for service for over a year and had nothing but absolutely fantastic service, better than most pricing and a high level of professionalism. I visited their sales department on many occasions and was treated the very same.

I'm not sure what the point of this thread is, especially since you are bringing up articles OVER A YEAR OLD! Sounds like a classic case of bitterness. What really happened to make you bring this up only twice since FEBRUARY!?

SheddingSkin

All these stories are showing correlation between Hector Colon, ex salesman of Holler Mitsubishi and Coggin Honda...