MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - A car dealer from Georgia believes he was the victim of a ritzy rip-off, after he said, crooks rerouted the delivery of a special edition Rolls-Royce, pulling off a crime that has become all too common.
Speaking with 7News on Friday, Travis Payne said he is still feeling pain over the Rolls he bought and ordered last year
“This is a $500,000 car, brand-new,” he said.
But Payne, who is based out of Atlanta, said he never received his pricey ride.
Payne believes his SUV to now be in Guadalajara, Mexico.
But let’s start with how this exotic car dealer said his Rolls was ripped off.
“They’re taking the information, they’re logging in under a different company,” said Payne.
Just like several recent luxury car thefts featured on 7News.
Payne said his vehicle was grabbed in the same way authorities across Miami-Dade County say other ritzy rides are being taken: with scammers posing as vehicle transport brokers and creating a new and fraudulent delivery order.
A police report startes the thieves “[reroute] the truck drivers upon them picking up vehicles posted for transport and routing them to other locations.”
“Their cargo is stolen, and they don’t know it,” said Payne.
Payne saw 7News’ reports on past auto thefts and agreed to be interviewed.
“I mean, my car had GPS tracking, and they disabled it within 12 minutes,” he said.
That was over the summer, when his SUV was rerouted from Arizona to Los Angeles instead of arriving to his dealership in Atlanta.
“[I asked], ‘Hey, did you guys get a Rolls-Royce Cullinan delivered?’ And they’re like, ‘No, but you’re not the first person to call,” he said.
Payne said police were no help, but he generated leads through the online exotic car community.
“I got a tip, with a TikTok video, of someone doing like a full video walk-around of the car, showing it off,” he said. “I was able to positively identify that was my car.”
Though it was wrapped in a different color, Payne said, his vehicle was posted on social media and wound up at a Mexican dealership.
Payne said boxer Canelo Alvarez is tied to the dealership.
“They sold it to Luis Conriquez,” he said, referring to the Mexican singer.
How does Payne know Conriquez has his wheels?
“There’s tons of pictures and videos,” he said.
However, Payne is not accusing either star of committing a crime. He just wants his ride back.
When he tried giving the Mexican dealership the car’s VIN number, Payne said, they stopped communicating. He’s considering taking legal action.
Payne also called out the Arizona dealership because, he said, the proper documentation wasn’t verified when transporters came to pick up his SUV.
Copyright 2025 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.