Couple getting ready for big move buys stolen car on Craigslist

WESTLAND, Mich. (WJBK) - Reagan Evans and her boyfriend live in Westland and were eager to move to Colorado, In fact, they were set to move Tuesday. They had their boxes all packed and just needed one thing -- an SUV to haul their trailer. So, they hopped on Craigslist, the same place where they sold their own car.

"We felt a sense of security because of that. We had a Ford Fusion, posted it on there and almost, within hours, it was sold," Evans says.

They found an ad on Craiglist for a GMC Envoy and arranged a meeting in Detroit.

"The man told me that he had a newborn and was in a hurry to finance this for them," Evans says. They paid $1,700 for the Envoy and drove home. That's when intuition came into play.

"I saw the title and it didn't feel right. It looks more like computer paper, so we went to the police to check that out," Evans says. The title looked pretty good, and Evans says it nearly even fooled police.

"There's little codes on here, or the pink strip, and [the officer] said that it shouldn't be able to be copied, so he thought it was real. So, he said, 'Oh, I think you're okay! This is a real title.' And I said, 'Okay, can you verify?' And, sure enough, it was a stolen car and it had been reported 16 days ago," Evans says.

The vehicle was stolen in Southfield, but its title named someone in West Bloomfield. So, now what? The truth is, she's out the money and the SUV. The victim will get the vehicle back, and Evans is hopeful others can benefit the mistake.

"Make sure you see the drivers license; match it up with the name [on the title]," Evans offers as advice.