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Car salesman fired from Plymouth dealership accused of scamming clients, selling stolen cars

Ricardo Perez also took personal information, police say

LINCOLN PARK, Mich. – Victims of an elaborate car sales scam are sharing their stories with Local 4′s Consumer Investigator Hank Winchester.

Police said a former car salesman was taking cash, selling stolen cars and collecting the personal information of clients who had no idea they were part of the money-making scheme.

Update: ‘He took down a whole community’: Mero Detroit car salesman accused of scamming clients

There are dozens of victims across several Metro Detroit cities. The stories from the victims are heartbreaking and shocking.

Ricardo Perez was recently arrested by police in Lincoln Park. Police said Perez was fired last year from Dick Scott Chrysler in Plymouth, but he never told his clients that he had been fired.

Instead, he kept taking deposits, allegedly sold stolen cars and got some people -- like Helen Therrian -- involved in elaborate lease scams.

One victim, who asked to remain anonymous, said he knew Perez for years. He trusted Perez.

Police said the investigation is large and that there could be between 75 to 100 potential victims.

People all over Metro Detroit were targeted. The areas include Lincoln Park, Plymouth, Taylor, Livonia, Detroit and Macomb County.

If you’ve recently done business with Perez you should contact police.

Read: Complete Help Me Hank coverage


Have a news tip? To reach Help Me Hank please call 313-634-WDIV (313-634-9348) or email at helpmehank@wdiv.com.



About the Authors
Hank Winchester headshot

Hank Winchester is Local 4’s Consumer Investigative Reporter and the head of WDIV’s “Help Me Hank” Consumer Unit. Hank works to solve consumer complaints, reveal important recalls and track down thieves who have ripped off people in our community.

Kayla Clarke headshot

Kayla is a Web Producer for ClickOnDetroit. Before she joined the team in 2018 she worked at WILX in Lansing as a digital producer.

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