Garner woman out thousands after buying stolen vehicle from CarMax
www.wral.com, Shaun Gallagher, December 15, 2025
According to Wake County search warrants, a Florida county sheriff’s office is investigating up to 200 stolen vehicles, including one sold to a Garner woman.
That woman is out thousands of dollars after law enforcement says she purchased the vehicle through CarMax. According to Raleigh police, the vehicle was reported stolen about five years ago.
According to a recently released search warrant by the Raleigh Police Department, a law enforcement officer from Polk County, Florida, contacted Raleigh police about a large vehicle theft ring spanning numerous states and jurisdictions, including a vehicle sold locally.
According to Raleigh police, the Polk County officer advised of a vehicle sold from CarMax with a fraudulent Vehicle Identification Number. That vehicle, a 2019 Infiniti Q50 Luxe, was sold to a Garner woman, but the fraudulent VIN was not identified until after the vehicle was sold.
“I’d ask the person or the dealership that’s selling that vehicle for a vehicle history report,” said Keith Barry, a senior autos reporter for Consumer Reports. “If it doesn’t seem right, walk away. There are other cars out there.”
Barry says being very thorough can be the best strategy to ensure you’re making the right purchase. A vehicle history report will include make, model, mileage and even the color.
“If it says you’re buying a silver Nissan and you show up and the car is a blue Nissan, there’ something sketchy there,” Barry said. “It might be worth not purchasing that vehicle.”
VIN cloning can make it difficult to spot a non-stolen vehicle. But Barry says, it’s about double and even triple checking.
“I know the car buying experience is rushed but slow it down,” Barry said. “Double check all the paperwork and take your time. Make them earn their commission. Take as long as you need because you’re going to be with the car in the end. It’s going to be your problem if there’s something wrong with it.”
Bringing the car to a mechanic can help identify any discrepancies, Barry said.
The vehicle is one of up to 200 vehicles identified as stolen by the Polk County sheriff.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office confirmed with WRAL News it is investigating this issue.
“At this time, I am unable to share any information about the investigation due to it still be active,” the Polk County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson wrote.
While the Polk County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a large number of vehicle thefts, a spokesperson for CarMax says the is not the subject of any such investigation.
“We are sorry to hear about this customer’s experience. This is the first we are hearing about the situation, so we appreciate the opportunity to look into it. CarMax conducts thorough validations of the VIN for the vehicles we sell to customers. If any discrepancies are discovered at any stage, we immediately conduct an investigation. We will be reaching out directly to this customer to learn more about this situation and offer assistance.”
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