1 00:00:01,126 --> 00:00:05,714 ♪ ♪ 2 00:00:05,714 --> 00:00:09,760 (distant sirens wailing) 3 00:00:12,721 --> 00:00:15,349 (car engine revving) 4 00:00:15,349 --> 00:00:20,062 MARIANA: Since the first model Ts began rolling off the assembly line, 5 00:00:20,062 --> 00:00:23,315 Americans have fallen deeply in love with cars. 6 00:00:24,733 --> 00:00:27,861 They are as personal as clothes or tattoos, 7 00:00:27,861 --> 00:00:30,239 part of the stories we tell about ourselves. 8 00:00:31,448 --> 00:00:33,617 Hollywood knows how we feel about them. 9 00:00:33,617 --> 00:00:39,331 Whether they're taking us on an adventure or on a vacation, 10 00:00:39,331 --> 00:00:41,083 or even, to the future. 11 00:00:41,708 --> 00:00:43,168 We talk to them. 12 00:00:43,168 --> 00:00:44,294 MICHAEL: You all right? 13 00:00:44,294 --> 00:00:45,879 KITT: I can't take another blow like that. 14 00:00:45,879 --> 00:00:47,172 MARIANA: We give them names. 15 00:00:47,172 --> 00:00:48,131 CAROLE: Herbie! 16 00:00:48,131 --> 00:00:49,216 MARIANA: We race them. 17 00:00:49,216 --> 00:00:50,676 DOMINIC: Let's go for a little ride. 18 00:00:50,676 --> 00:00:51,927 MARIANA: We wreck them. 19 00:00:52,469 --> 00:00:55,097 But mostly, we adore them. 20 00:00:55,097 --> 00:00:56,640 WALTER: Where's your car dude? 21 00:00:56,640 --> 00:00:59,101 MARIANA: Which is why I just had to do a story about people 22 00:00:59,101 --> 00:01:00,477 who steal them. 23 00:01:02,479 --> 00:01:05,649 On average, every 36 seconds, 24 00:01:05,649 --> 00:01:08,026 a car is stolen here in the United States. 25 00:01:08,777 --> 00:01:10,571 It's big money. 26 00:01:10,571 --> 00:01:14,866 And it's often done by somebody just like this. 27 00:01:17,995 --> 00:01:19,997 Oh my God, what if the people come out? 28 00:01:23,667 --> 00:01:25,544 (car engine revving) 29 00:01:25,544 --> 00:01:28,755 Oh my God, that took, like, less than five seconds. 30 00:01:31,508 --> 00:01:32,593 (bleep). 31 00:01:33,176 --> 00:01:36,597 (car engine revving) 32 00:01:36,597 --> 00:01:39,308 (theme music playing) 33 00:01:40,142 --> 00:01:46,356 (ticking) 34 00:01:51,903 --> 00:01:53,655 MARIANA: Okay, this is it. 35 00:02:00,495 --> 00:02:01,830 Watch out, watch out. 36 00:02:03,123 --> 00:02:04,374 Oh my God, this is insane. 37 00:02:04,708 --> 00:02:06,877 ♪ ♪ 38 00:02:06,877 --> 00:02:08,879 MAN: Woo, woo, woo! 39 00:02:08,879 --> 00:02:10,005 Woo! 40 00:02:10,881 --> 00:02:12,466 MARIANA: How many cars do you think are here tonight? 41 00:02:12,466 --> 00:02:14,343 MAN: Usually we'll get 5,000 or more cars coming here. 42 00:02:14,343 --> 00:02:15,927 MARIANA: Seriously? MAN: 100%. 43 00:02:15,927 --> 00:02:18,805 MARIANA: I mean, a gathering of so many cars, the donuts. 44 00:02:18,805 --> 00:02:21,099 MAN 2: Woo! 45 00:02:21,099 --> 00:02:22,976 MARIANA: None of that is legal right? 46 00:02:22,976 --> 00:02:24,519 (laughter) 47 00:02:24,519 --> 00:02:26,229 MAN: I don't know, no comment. 48 00:02:26,229 --> 00:02:27,064 MAN 2: No comment. 49 00:02:27,064 --> 00:02:28,106 MAN: No comment. 50 00:02:29,775 --> 00:02:32,778 MARIANA: How many cars here do you think are stolen? 51 00:02:32,778 --> 00:02:33,904 MAN: Thousands. 52 00:02:34,696 --> 00:02:37,449 MARIANA: I've reported on a lot of illegal activities, 53 00:02:37,449 --> 00:02:40,118 but I've never done a story about stolen cars. 54 00:02:40,911 --> 00:02:43,830 I was tipped off however that these late-night meet-ups 55 00:02:43,830 --> 00:02:46,208 would be a good place to start digging. 56 00:02:47,250 --> 00:02:50,921 Like most of these folks, I followed a trail of social media posts 57 00:02:50,921 --> 00:02:53,423 to this location in New York City. 58 00:02:55,884 --> 00:02:57,386 It was announced last minute 59 00:02:57,386 --> 00:02:59,721 so that the police wouldn't be able don't shut it down. 60 00:03:00,472 --> 00:03:03,100 (cheering) 61 00:03:03,100 --> 00:03:06,478 This underground car culture is the real-life version of 62 00:03:06,478 --> 00:03:08,188 The Fast and the Furious. 63 00:03:08,772 --> 00:03:10,774 ROMAN: Hey man, we got cars flying in the air? 64 00:03:13,568 --> 00:03:16,238 MARIANA: The popularity of these events has exploded with 65 00:03:16,238 --> 00:03:17,989 the success of the franchise. 66 00:03:17,989 --> 00:03:20,158 (popping) 67 00:03:20,158 --> 00:03:22,953 But not all attendees can afford a fancy car. 68 00:03:24,538 --> 00:03:28,625 So, these meet-ups have become a popular playground for joyriders. 69 00:03:30,419 --> 00:03:31,670 MAN: Woo-hoo! 70 00:03:32,546 --> 00:03:35,173 (fireworks exploding) 71 00:03:36,216 --> 00:03:38,552 MARIANA: Okay so, do you guys know anyone who steals cars? 72 00:03:38,552 --> 00:03:40,637 MAN 2: Uh, no. 73 00:03:40,637 --> 00:03:42,347 MAN: Nah, no, I don't personally know anyone, no. 74 00:03:42,347 --> 00:03:43,473 No. 75 00:03:43,473 --> 00:03:45,142 MARIANA: If you did, would you tell me? 76 00:03:45,142 --> 00:03:46,977 MAN: No, probably not. MAN 2: No. 77 00:03:47,936 --> 00:03:50,272 MARIANA: After decades of decline in the US, 78 00:03:50,272 --> 00:03:55,277 auto theft spiked in 2020 to the tune of nearly 900,000 cars. 79 00:03:57,320 --> 00:03:58,905 MAN: Yes, sir. 80 00:04:02,367 --> 00:04:03,827 MARIANA: Have you ever stolen a car? 81 00:04:03,827 --> 00:04:05,078 ANTHONY: Stolen, yeah, um, 82 00:04:05,078 --> 00:04:08,248 my first car I stole was when I was 16. 83 00:04:08,248 --> 00:04:11,918 MARIANA: I wind up talking to a guy we're calling Anthony. 84 00:04:11,918 --> 00:04:14,171 How easy is it to steal a car? 85 00:04:25,015 --> 00:04:27,476 MARIANA: I learned that the old "Tow and Go," 86 00:04:27,476 --> 00:04:29,311 is one of several unsophisticated, 87 00:04:29,311 --> 00:04:31,438 yet popular ways to steal a car. 88 00:04:35,150 --> 00:04:39,029 If you're a car thief, sometimes you've got the right tools. 89 00:04:39,446 --> 00:04:41,740 REPORTER (over TV): A dark-colored tow truck backs up to a house and 90 00:04:41,740 --> 00:04:44,117 steals this car while the owner slept. 91 00:04:45,118 --> 00:04:47,287 MARIANA: Sometimes you need a gun. 92 00:04:47,287 --> 00:04:48,789 WOMAN (over TV): My life flashed before my eyes. 93 00:04:48,789 --> 00:04:51,291 I literally was like, "This is it." 94 00:04:51,291 --> 00:04:55,128 MARIANA: And sometimes your targets are just not careful enough. 95 00:04:55,587 --> 00:04:57,923 REPORTER 2 (over TV): This is surveillance video of a car left warming up 96 00:04:57,923 --> 00:04:59,424 that was stolen last week. 97 00:04:59,424 --> 00:05:02,385 MARIANA: About half of stolen cars in the United States end 98 00:05:02,385 --> 00:05:05,347 up back in the hands of their rightful owners. 99 00:05:05,347 --> 00:05:09,768 That leaves over $4 billion worth of unrecovered cars that 100 00:05:09,768 --> 00:05:13,605 wind up everywhere from used car lots to chop shops. 101 00:05:14,606 --> 00:05:16,566 (sirens wailing) 102 00:05:16,566 --> 00:05:17,692 MAN: We gotta move, we gotta move. 103 00:05:17,692 --> 00:05:19,736 (sirens wailing) 104 00:05:19,736 --> 00:05:22,447 MARIANA: So, the police is coming so you hear everybody's running. 105 00:05:22,447 --> 00:05:23,323 MAN: Yo, we out. 106 00:05:23,323 --> 00:05:25,075 We out, we out, yo, yeah, yeah. 107 00:05:26,034 --> 00:05:28,954 MARIANA: And you see everybody running to their cars and leaving? 108 00:05:28,954 --> 00:05:30,205 Look, it's good. 109 00:05:30,205 --> 00:05:33,375 (sirens wailing) 110 00:05:37,504 --> 00:05:38,338 Oh, wow. 111 00:05:44,678 --> 00:05:45,595 MARIANA: How old are you now? 112 00:05:47,264 --> 00:05:49,891 MARIANA: How much money have you made from the cars you've stolen so far? 113 00:05:59,484 --> 00:06:01,570 MARIANA: Anthony tells me that it's harder for the cops to 114 00:06:01,570 --> 00:06:04,364 trace the parts of a stolen car. 115 00:06:04,364 --> 00:06:08,326 But the thieves who make the big money must take a bigger risk, 116 00:06:08,326 --> 00:06:10,537 selling the whole car intact. 117 00:06:23,592 --> 00:06:25,927 MARIANA: It turns out there's an underground supply chain 118 00:06:25,927 --> 00:06:29,180 of stolen cars exported overseas. 119 00:06:29,180 --> 00:06:32,517 That's one of the most lucrative smuggling routes in the game. 120 00:06:34,436 --> 00:06:38,023 So how exactly how does a two-ton object packed with 121 00:06:38,023 --> 00:06:41,484 antitheft technology completely disappear? 122 00:06:43,445 --> 00:06:45,363 Where does it end up? 123 00:06:45,363 --> 00:06:48,700 And who's pulling the strings on such a complicated operation? 124 00:06:50,201 --> 00:06:53,496 That's exactly what I want to find out. 125 00:06:53,496 --> 00:06:57,792 (sirens wailing) 126 00:06:59,794 --> 00:07:00,795 Okay. 127 00:07:00,795 --> 00:07:02,047 So, this is it. 128 00:07:02,047 --> 00:07:04,633 We're about two minutes from the Newark airport. 129 00:07:04,633 --> 00:07:07,052 I actually think I've stayed at this hotel before. 130 00:07:07,052 --> 00:07:10,388 I learned that one hub for these international car theft rings 131 00:07:10,388 --> 00:07:14,768 is based just a few miles down the road in Newark, New Jersey. 132 00:07:16,853 --> 00:07:18,480 Oh, this is it. 133 00:07:18,480 --> 00:07:20,982 Yeah, definitely. 134 00:07:20,982 --> 00:07:22,108 This is it. 135 00:07:22,108 --> 00:07:24,277 For a long time, the city was known as 136 00:07:24,277 --> 00:07:26,571 the stolen car capital of the world. 137 00:07:29,449 --> 00:07:30,784 Hi, Mariana. 138 00:07:30,784 --> 00:07:32,869 MARIANA: Number One, I heard? NUMBER ONE: Yeah. 139 00:07:32,869 --> 00:07:33,787 MARIANA: How you want to be called? 140 00:07:35,038 --> 00:07:36,289 MARIANA: For years, Number One 141 00:07:36,289 --> 00:07:38,458 was part of a operation known for moving 142 00:07:38,458 --> 00:07:42,754 millions of dollars' worth of luxury vehicles overseas. 143 00:07:42,754 --> 00:07:44,422 We ran a few cars by you and you said 144 00:07:44,422 --> 00:07:46,841 this is one that you used to regularly, you've stolen. 145 00:07:46,841 --> 00:07:48,551 NUMBER ONE: Mm-hmm. 146 00:07:48,551 --> 00:07:49,928 MARIANA: How many of these particular cars do you think you've stolen? 147 00:07:49,928 --> 00:07:51,471 NUMBER ONE: I can't, I can't even count. 148 00:07:51,471 --> 00:07:53,473 It's maybe thousands. 149 00:07:53,473 --> 00:07:55,725 MARIANA: Wait, thousands just of this make and model? 150 00:07:55,725 --> 00:07:57,018 NUMBER ONE: Yeah. 151 00:07:57,018 --> 00:07:58,687 MARIANA: Was this one of your favorites? 152 00:07:58,687 --> 00:07:59,896 NUMBER ONE: None of them is my favorite. 153 00:07:59,896 --> 00:08:01,564 Money is my favorite. 154 00:08:01,564 --> 00:08:04,150 MARIANA: Eventually his luck ran out. 155 00:08:04,150 --> 00:08:06,736 Over the course of a two-year investigation called, 156 00:08:06,736 --> 00:08:08,488 "Operation Jacked," 157 00:08:08,488 --> 00:08:13,493 authorities seized hundreds of cars valued at over $12 million, 158 00:08:13,493 --> 00:08:16,663 and convicted more than 50 car ring members, 159 00:08:16,663 --> 00:08:19,165 including Number One. 160 00:08:19,165 --> 00:08:23,962 When I heard that he'd been released from prison, I managed to track him down. 161 00:08:23,962 --> 00:08:28,842 He was reluctant to talk on camera at first, because he told me he's out of the game. 162 00:08:28,842 --> 00:08:32,887 But eventually he agreed to show us a few of his old tricks. 163 00:08:32,887 --> 00:08:35,181 (phone line ringing) 164 00:08:35,181 --> 00:08:36,099 NUMBER ONE: Oh, yeah. 165 00:08:38,059 --> 00:08:41,146 MAN (over phone): It's, it's in the front, rearview mirror. 166 00:08:41,146 --> 00:08:43,523 NUMBER ONE: So, it's in the front by the rearview mirror. 167 00:08:43,523 --> 00:08:45,775 Okay. 168 00:08:45,775 --> 00:08:47,110 And then I gotta go in the back. 169 00:08:55,660 --> 00:08:57,037 NUMBER ONE: All right, love you, bro. 170 00:08:58,413 --> 00:08:59,789 MARIANA: Who was it? 171 00:09:02,333 --> 00:09:03,626 MARIANA: At doing this? At stealing cars? 172 00:09:03,626 --> 00:09:04,586 NUMBER ONE: Yeah, Yeah. 173 00:09:04,586 --> 00:09:05,545 MARIANA: What were you doing? 174 00:09:05,545 --> 00:09:07,005 What was your... 175 00:09:07,005 --> 00:09:08,089 NUMBER ONE: Oh, I disabled the little tracking device, 176 00:09:08,089 --> 00:09:09,466 it's like OnStar, 177 00:09:09,466 --> 00:09:11,384 it keeps them from being able to find the car. 178 00:09:11,384 --> 00:09:12,510 MARIANA: Of course, we don't want to advertise too much. 179 00:09:12,510 --> 00:09:14,220 NUMBER ONE: No, Yeah. 180 00:09:14,220 --> 00:09:16,222 MARIANA: But there's something over there in the rearview mirror and 181 00:09:16,222 --> 00:09:19,017 then there's something in the back and that disables the GPS? 182 00:09:19,017 --> 00:09:20,226 NUMBER ONE: Mm-hmm, yep. 183 00:09:20,226 --> 00:09:21,519 MARIANA: And every car has... 184 00:09:21,519 --> 00:09:22,645 NUMBER ONE: Not every car, 185 00:09:22,645 --> 00:09:25,065 but majority cars have a tracking device. 186 00:09:25,065 --> 00:09:26,483 And they're in different places. 187 00:09:26,483 --> 00:09:28,443 MARIANA: So, when you called him right now, 188 00:09:28,443 --> 00:09:30,904 all you said was the model and the make of the car and he immediately knew? 189 00:09:30,904 --> 00:09:32,572 NUMBER ONE: Yeah, he knows where everything at. 190 00:09:32,572 --> 00:09:35,742 MARIANA: Does he think that you're actually trying to steal a car? 191 00:09:35,742 --> 00:09:37,994 NUMBER ONE: Yeah. MARIANA: Did he say anything? 192 00:09:37,994 --> 00:09:38,912 No? 193 00:09:38,912 --> 00:09:40,538 NUMBER ONE: No. 194 00:09:40,538 --> 00:09:41,623 Just was automatic gave me the information that I needed because 195 00:09:41,623 --> 00:09:42,874 it could have been critical. 196 00:09:42,874 --> 00:09:44,250 You have no time to waste. 197 00:09:44,250 --> 00:09:45,668 "Yo, where you at? 198 00:09:45,668 --> 00:09:47,003 What you got? 199 00:09:47,003 --> 00:09:49,380 None of you (bleep) business I need your help." 200 00:09:49,380 --> 00:09:51,800 MARIANA: Number One insists that cops have only 201 00:09:51,800 --> 00:09:53,968 cracked the tip of the iceberg. 202 00:09:53,968 --> 00:09:56,971 The big players are still very much in the game. 203 00:10:03,812 --> 00:10:06,898 MARIANA: I asked if he's able to connect me to any active players, 204 00:10:06,898 --> 00:10:08,900 but he tells me it's too risky. 205 00:10:15,323 --> 00:10:17,283 MARIANA: Unfortunately, in my experience, 206 00:10:17,283 --> 00:10:19,786 "luck" doesn't open many doors. 207 00:10:23,373 --> 00:10:28,670 I need to find someone who trusts me enough to show me how this racket really works. 208 00:10:28,670 --> 00:10:30,755 (phone line ringing) 209 00:10:30,755 --> 00:10:32,006 MAN (over phone): Mariana? 210 00:10:32,006 --> 00:10:33,758 MARIANA: Hey, we're a, a couple blocks away. 211 00:10:33,758 --> 00:10:34,926 Like a minute away. 212 00:10:34,926 --> 00:10:35,593 MAN (over phone): All right that's cool. 213 00:10:35,593 --> 00:10:36,553 I'm on my way too. 214 00:10:36,553 --> 00:10:38,429 MARIANA: Okay, bye. 215 00:10:38,429 --> 00:10:41,724 I decide to tap an old connection from the drug trafficking underworld. 216 00:10:41,724 --> 00:10:44,602 He tells me that when his dealers head out for a job, 217 00:10:44,602 --> 00:10:47,438 they'll rent a stolen car for a couple hours from 218 00:10:47,438 --> 00:10:49,399 a crew of car thieves. 219 00:10:49,399 --> 00:10:54,362 He's managed to set up a meeting with one he calls, fittingly, Klepto. 220 00:10:55,864 --> 00:10:57,323 (sighs) 221 00:10:57,740 --> 00:11:00,034 No matter how many times you do this, you always get a little nervous. 222 00:11:07,917 --> 00:11:09,586 (beeping) 223 00:11:14,632 --> 00:11:15,633 MARIANA: Good, how are you? KLEPTO: I'm Good. 224 00:11:22,765 --> 00:11:23,933 MARIANA: Okay, what cars are those? 225 00:11:38,156 --> 00:11:40,325 MARIANA: Yeah, you see the, you see them? 226 00:11:49,626 --> 00:11:51,419 Ah, the trash cans are right there. 227 00:11:54,088 --> 00:11:57,634 Ah, he's actually taking out the trash can from the front of a car, 228 00:11:57,634 --> 00:11:58,760 so he can move the car. 229 00:12:03,431 --> 00:12:04,974 Okay, he's doing it, he's doing it right now. 230 00:12:04,974 --> 00:12:05,892 Look, look, look. 231 00:12:05,892 --> 00:12:06,851 He's doing it. 232 00:12:11,397 --> 00:12:13,066 Oh my God, did you see that? 233 00:12:20,156 --> 00:12:22,367 ♪ ♪ 234 00:12:22,367 --> 00:12:24,535 MARIANA: Okay, he's doing it, he's doing it right now. 235 00:12:24,535 --> 00:12:26,037 Look, look, look. 236 00:12:28,331 --> 00:12:29,749 Oh my God, did you see that? 237 00:12:32,043 --> 00:12:34,963 Oh my, that took like less than five seconds. 238 00:12:34,963 --> 00:12:36,798 What did he do? 239 00:12:36,798 --> 00:12:40,009 He did something to the handle, then it made a noise and it opened. 240 00:12:42,679 --> 00:12:44,222 Do you see this? 241 00:12:44,222 --> 00:12:46,516 He just put the window down and went like this and waved. 242 00:12:48,393 --> 00:12:53,106 (distant sirens wailing) 243 00:12:54,107 --> 00:12:56,484 (bleep). 244 00:12:56,484 --> 00:12:58,152 That was (bleep) crazy. 245 00:12:59,988 --> 00:13:01,239 Oh, my God. 246 00:13:01,239 --> 00:13:03,491 I don't even, I'm, like, totally discombobulated. 247 00:13:03,491 --> 00:13:06,452 I don't know what, oh my God. 248 00:13:06,828 --> 00:13:09,372 And now they're going super-fast and I'm supposed to keep up with them. 249 00:13:12,458 --> 00:13:15,044 And yeah, now we're just driving behind a stolen car. 250 00:13:18,298 --> 00:13:20,550 And they're parking right here. 251 00:13:22,635 --> 00:13:24,512 So that was insane. 252 00:13:24,512 --> 00:13:27,223 Gone in 60 seconds, in your case, it was gone in five seconds. 253 00:13:27,223 --> 00:13:28,725 KLEPTO: Exactly, that's a lie. 254 00:13:28,725 --> 00:13:30,393 MARIANA: But I saw you had a little trouble with the handle? 255 00:13:30,393 --> 00:13:33,187 KLEPTO: Uh, our keys don't open car locks. 256 00:13:33,187 --> 00:13:35,398 MARIANA: How did you open the lock then? 257 00:13:35,398 --> 00:13:38,651 KLEPTO: Uh, can't really tell you that little secret. 258 00:13:38,651 --> 00:13:39,986 MARIANA: Okay. 259 00:13:39,986 --> 00:13:41,821 And then once you're inside, the ignition starts. 260 00:13:41,821 --> 00:13:43,031 KLEPTO: Yes, it's a, it's a programed key. 261 00:13:43,031 --> 00:13:44,449 MARIANA: Mm-hmm. 262 00:13:44,449 --> 00:13:45,908 KLEPTO: And you can program the key to any damn car. 263 00:13:46,534 --> 00:13:50,663 MARIANA: Since most modern cars are glorified computers on wheels, 264 00:13:50,663 --> 00:13:55,084 all that dealerships and locksmiths need to reprogram a virgin key fob is 265 00:13:55,084 --> 00:13:56,878 the car's vin number. 266 00:13:56,878 --> 00:14:00,965 And all car thieves need is a savvy but corrupt, mechanic. 267 00:14:01,382 --> 00:14:02,925 And so you did your first one. 268 00:14:02,925 --> 00:14:04,260 I know you're in a bit of a rush now to go do your second. 269 00:14:04,260 --> 00:14:05,261 KLEPTO: Yes. 270 00:14:05,261 --> 00:14:06,304 MARIANA: What's the second car? 271 00:14:06,304 --> 00:14:08,139 KLEPTO: It's a Mercedes. 272 00:14:08,139 --> 00:14:08,931 MARIANA: So it's a Mercedes, you know it's somewhere in this neighborhood. 273 00:14:08,931 --> 00:14:10,141 KLEPTO: Yes. 274 00:14:10,141 --> 00:14:11,434 MARIANA: What, what is this neighborhood like? 275 00:14:11,434 --> 00:14:13,352 KLEPTO: It's, uh, a lot of White people, man. 276 00:14:13,352 --> 00:14:15,104 And you're talking about multimillion-dollar homes here. 277 00:14:15,104 --> 00:14:16,564 It's okay. 278 00:14:16,564 --> 00:14:18,024 You know, they cheat a lot of people. 279 00:14:18,024 --> 00:14:20,193 So everybody cheats people, rich people cheat people. 280 00:14:20,193 --> 00:14:21,444 Why not? 281 00:14:21,444 --> 00:14:23,446 Let's cheat, so... 282 00:14:23,446 --> 00:14:25,156 MARIANA: What you did, does it ever cross your mind? 283 00:14:25,156 --> 00:14:26,365 How are they going to feel when they wake up in the morning and 284 00:14:26,365 --> 00:14:27,533 they don't see their cars? 285 00:14:27,533 --> 00:14:28,910 KLEPTO: They ain't going to suffer. 286 00:14:28,910 --> 00:14:30,161 They're not going to do anything about a damn car. 287 00:14:30,161 --> 00:14:32,038 It ain't nothing. 288 00:14:32,038 --> 00:14:33,456 You're stealing money from the bank. 289 00:14:33,456 --> 00:14:35,208 Insurance covers your money. 290 00:14:35,208 --> 00:14:37,835 MARIANA: But insurance claims go up for everybody we all actually, 291 00:14:37,835 --> 00:14:40,838 at the end of the day, end up paying for cars being stolen. 292 00:14:40,838 --> 00:14:42,048 KLEPTO: Oh, of course. 293 00:14:42,048 --> 00:14:43,966 Of course, that doesn't make me a bad guy. 294 00:14:45,593 --> 00:14:48,012 WOMAN (over TV): Every time he was pointing the gun at me, I was like, 295 00:14:48,012 --> 00:14:50,264 I went like, "No, please! Don't, don't, don't, please." 296 00:14:50,264 --> 00:14:53,017 And cause he was like boom and boom, like that. 297 00:14:53,017 --> 00:14:54,644 He was just hitting me with the gun. 298 00:14:54,644 --> 00:14:55,978 It was horrible. 299 00:15:03,277 --> 00:15:05,196 MARIANA: So tell me, what's the crew? 300 00:15:05,196 --> 00:15:07,532 KLEPTO: Well, I got my spotter that jumps out and takes care of my corner. 301 00:15:07,532 --> 00:15:09,617 Any cop that's coming in, whatever, 302 00:15:09,617 --> 00:15:10,827 I already know the whistle he make. 303 00:15:10,827 --> 00:15:12,036 (whistles) 304 00:15:12,036 --> 00:15:13,913 I got my person that's driving right here. 305 00:15:13,913 --> 00:15:14,872 He's in a tinted-up truck. 306 00:15:14,872 --> 00:15:16,415 He parks away from me. 307 00:15:16,415 --> 00:15:18,459 And then of course I got my other little buddy over there 308 00:15:18,459 --> 00:15:21,087 who parks a little bit further just, you know. 309 00:15:21,087 --> 00:15:22,839 MARIANA: To keep an eye out? KLEPTO: Of course. Of course. 310 00:15:22,839 --> 00:15:23,756 He signals him. 311 00:15:23,756 --> 00:15:25,091 That guy signals him. 312 00:15:25,091 --> 00:15:26,509 I got to have at least two blocks covered, girl. 313 00:15:26,509 --> 00:15:28,803 'Cause no, no, no, no. 314 00:15:28,803 --> 00:15:30,304 I'm not trying to go to jail again. 315 00:15:30,304 --> 00:15:31,931 MARIANA: And you were shot at before? 316 00:15:31,931 --> 00:15:33,182 KLEPTO: Oh, plenty of times. 317 00:15:35,351 --> 00:15:36,269 MARIANA: Oh, my God. 318 00:15:36,269 --> 00:15:37,603 What if the people come out? 319 00:15:40,565 --> 00:15:42,233 This makes me so nervous. 320 00:15:44,694 --> 00:15:47,822 Oh, my God, I feel so bad for whoever's car this is. 321 00:15:50,950 --> 00:15:53,744 That was insane, and I've seen a lot of crazy (bleep). 322 00:15:58,082 --> 00:16:01,252 What starts to come into focus as I'm talking to Klepto is 323 00:16:01,252 --> 00:16:05,715 the organizational structure of these international operations. 324 00:16:05,715 --> 00:16:09,969 Crews of thieves like Klepto's are the bottom of the pyramid. 325 00:16:09,969 --> 00:16:14,348 Once they steal a car, I'm told they want to get rid of it as soon as possible. 326 00:16:14,348 --> 00:16:15,725 But how? 327 00:16:15,725 --> 00:16:17,560 And to whom? 328 00:16:17,560 --> 00:16:21,230 That's what I'm itching to uncover; the next levels of the pyramid. 329 00:16:22,398 --> 00:16:24,650 You dropped off the cars today at the parking lot, what happens to those cars? 330 00:16:24,650 --> 00:16:26,736 KLEPTO: Yes. 331 00:16:26,736 --> 00:16:27,987 Well, right now, the guys are gonna go clean 'em up and then they're gonna go... 332 00:16:27,987 --> 00:16:29,280 MARIANA: What do you mean by clean them up? 333 00:16:29,280 --> 00:16:30,740 KLEPTO: That's my expertise. 334 00:16:30,740 --> 00:16:33,367 MARIANA: After years of success running a crew of thieves, 335 00:16:33,367 --> 00:16:37,163 Klepto's career in stolen cars has actually progressed. 336 00:16:37,163 --> 00:16:41,083 He's now also working in a position that's known as, "The Fence." 337 00:16:41,083 --> 00:16:42,710 How did you learn how to do that? 338 00:16:42,710 --> 00:16:45,546 KLEPTO: Since I was a little kid, working at body shops, you know, 339 00:16:45,546 --> 00:16:49,467 family members, stealing other cars, you learn tricks of the trade. 340 00:16:49,467 --> 00:16:52,470 MARIANA: The Fence is the key middleman in the operation. 341 00:16:52,470 --> 00:16:57,141 It's his job to handle the logistics of laundering a stolen car to disguise 342 00:16:57,141 --> 00:16:59,101 the fact that it's stolen. 343 00:16:59,101 --> 00:17:00,353 And then what happens after that? 344 00:17:00,353 --> 00:17:02,897 KLEPTO: Um, the LoJacks. 345 00:17:02,897 --> 00:17:04,148 So they won't track them. 346 00:17:04,148 --> 00:17:05,650 MARIANA: The GPS? KLEPTO: Yes. 347 00:17:05,650 --> 00:17:07,151 MARIANA: So you have somebody who knows how to do that? 348 00:17:07,151 --> 00:17:08,236 KLEPTO: Yes. 349 00:17:08,236 --> 00:17:09,278 MARIANA: Locate the GPS, remove it. 350 00:17:09,278 --> 00:17:10,780 And then what happens after that? 351 00:17:10,780 --> 00:17:11,572 KLEPTO: We change the numbers. MARIANA: The VIN numbers? 352 00:17:11,572 --> 00:17:13,407 KLEPTO: Yes. 353 00:17:13,407 --> 00:17:13,950 MARIANA: You have another person who knows how to change VIN numbers? 354 00:17:13,950 --> 00:17:15,159 KLEPTO: Yeah. 355 00:17:15,159 --> 00:17:16,244 MARIANA: The Vehicle Identification Number, 356 00:17:16,244 --> 00:17:18,246 or VIN, 357 00:17:18,246 --> 00:17:22,250 is a unique lifetime ID born from the moment a car rolls out of the factory. 358 00:17:22,250 --> 00:17:25,211 Klepto doesn't reveal how they change the VINs, 359 00:17:25,211 --> 00:17:27,463 but once a new VIN number is installed, 360 00:17:27,463 --> 00:17:31,759 they'll forge new title and registration documents to match. 361 00:17:31,759 --> 00:17:33,386 And how much do you get paid per car? 362 00:17:33,386 --> 00:17:35,304 KLEPTO: Just depends on the car, like the... 363 00:17:35,304 --> 00:17:36,847 MARIANA: So the Mercedes for tonight, how much? 364 00:17:36,847 --> 00:17:38,266 KLEPTO: About $30,000. MARIANA: $30,000. 365 00:17:38,266 --> 00:17:39,350 KLEPTO: Yeah. 366 00:17:39,350 --> 00:17:40,560 MARIANA: At each step in the process, 367 00:17:40,560 --> 00:17:43,437 Klepto pays off the players involved. 368 00:17:43,437 --> 00:17:45,273 KLEPTO: The key costs me four. 369 00:17:45,273 --> 00:17:47,149 MARIANA: $4,000 for the key? KLEPTO: Yeah. 370 00:17:47,149 --> 00:17:49,443 MARIANA: 3,000 to each of the thieves. 371 00:17:49,443 --> 00:17:51,696 2,000 to the VIN forger, 372 00:17:51,696 --> 00:17:55,575 1,000 to the wheelman who disables the GPS. 373 00:17:55,575 --> 00:17:59,370 So it's that profitable that you can still make money while paying all these people? 374 00:17:59,370 --> 00:18:00,997 KLEPTO: Yes, I can. 375 00:18:00,997 --> 00:18:03,124 MARIANA: Meaning for a car like the Mercedes, 376 00:18:03,124 --> 00:18:04,709 after paying off the crew, 377 00:18:04,709 --> 00:18:07,253 he'll bank around $12,000. 378 00:18:08,129 --> 00:18:10,715 KLEPTO: It's sold to the buyer that's asking for it. 379 00:18:10,715 --> 00:18:12,508 They send it into the container. 380 00:18:12,508 --> 00:18:13,884 You'll never see it again. 381 00:18:14,969 --> 00:18:17,888 MARIANA: The car transfers hands to the final player on 382 00:18:17,888 --> 00:18:19,890 the US side of the network, 383 00:18:19,890 --> 00:18:21,267 The Shipper. 384 00:18:25,688 --> 00:18:27,607 MARIANA: I meet back up with Number One, 385 00:18:27,607 --> 00:18:31,152 who I know has experience at this level of the operation. 386 00:18:31,152 --> 00:18:34,530 Over the years, he says he's made these drops many, many times. 387 00:18:39,535 --> 00:18:40,453 MARIANA: Where were the containers going? 388 00:18:42,455 --> 00:18:43,331 MARIANA: Do you know where exactly? 389 00:18:46,876 --> 00:18:49,086 MARIANA: Number One agrees to drive me to the location 390 00:18:49,086 --> 00:18:52,715 where he'd rendezvous with the shippers but warns me that 391 00:18:52,715 --> 00:18:56,719 this hand-off is still the most dangerous in the process. 392 00:18:57,428 --> 00:18:59,847 NUMBER ONE: Right here where this car's parked in front of that gate. 393 00:18:59,847 --> 00:19:01,557 MARIANA: Yeah. 394 00:19:01,557 --> 00:19:03,059 NUMBER ONE: That's where we used to pull up and drive in there, 395 00:19:03,059 --> 00:19:05,686 put the car in the containers and then they leave there. 396 00:19:05,686 --> 00:19:08,230 MARIANA: So the containers would be here waiting? 397 00:19:08,230 --> 00:19:10,149 NUMBER ONE: If they said 10:00 at night, 398 00:19:10,149 --> 00:19:12,401 then we'd meet them there 10:00 at night. 399 00:19:12,401 --> 00:19:16,489 Any one of these trucks could be in the process of doing that right now. 400 00:19:16,489 --> 00:19:17,907 MARIANA: Oh my God. 401 00:19:17,907 --> 00:19:20,284 We have no way of knowing if thieves will be packing 402 00:19:20,284 --> 00:19:23,079 these containers with stolen cars tonight. 403 00:19:23,079 --> 00:19:26,374 But if they are, it's definitely not safe to stick around. 404 00:19:26,374 --> 00:19:28,292 NUMBER ONE: See that car is still here. 405 00:19:28,292 --> 00:19:31,170 It's dangerous like that because we don't know exactly what they're doing. 406 00:19:31,170 --> 00:19:32,421 MARIANA: Right. 407 00:19:32,421 --> 00:19:33,964 And if they see us around here with cameras. 408 00:19:33,964 --> 00:19:35,758 NUMBER ONE: Yeah, exactly. 409 00:19:35,758 --> 00:19:39,637 You don't ask questions when somebody's standing there with M16s, AK47s. 410 00:19:39,637 --> 00:19:41,972 MARIANA: They were armed, the people running the business? 411 00:19:41,972 --> 00:19:42,890 Weren't you scared? 412 00:19:46,018 --> 00:19:50,356 MARIANA: I press Number One about who are the kingpins of these car rings but 413 00:19:50,356 --> 00:19:53,275 he either doesn't know or won't say. 414 00:19:53,275 --> 00:19:57,363 So I do what any good journalist does, I follow the money. 415 00:19:58,989 --> 00:20:02,201 To the port in Newark, where there's one final hurdle 416 00:20:02,201 --> 00:20:04,662 standing in these smugglers' way. 417 00:20:04,662 --> 00:20:05,746 Oh. 418 00:20:05,746 --> 00:20:07,206 OFFICER: Oh, that's a nice one. 419 00:20:07,206 --> 00:20:08,249 OFFICER 2: Oh, is it there? 420 00:20:08,249 --> 00:20:09,375 MARIANA: Wow! That's crazy. 421 00:20:13,045 --> 00:20:18,300 ♪ ♪ 422 00:20:31,272 --> 00:20:32,356 (snaps) 423 00:20:39,989 --> 00:20:40,948 MARIANA: Oh. 424 00:20:40,948 --> 00:20:42,158 OFFICER: Oh, that's a nice one. 425 00:20:42,158 --> 00:20:43,743 That's a beautiful Jeep right there. 426 00:20:43,743 --> 00:20:45,661 MARIANA: Wow. OFFICER 2: Pop the other door. 427 00:20:49,290 --> 00:20:50,332 MARIANA: Wow. 428 00:20:50,332 --> 00:20:52,042 So is this possibly a stolen car? 429 00:20:52,042 --> 00:20:53,169 OFFICER: Yes. OFFICER 2: Possibly. 430 00:20:53,169 --> 00:20:54,503 MARIANA: Per chance, a stolen vehicle? 431 00:20:54,503 --> 00:20:55,421 OFFICER: Absolutely. OFFICER 2: Very good chance. 432 00:20:55,421 --> 00:20:56,505 MARIANA: A very good chance? 433 00:20:56,505 --> 00:20:57,381 OFFICER: Two in there. MARIANA: Two? 434 00:20:57,381 --> 00:20:58,591 OFFICER: See, Mercedes-Benz. 435 00:20:58,591 --> 00:20:59,884 OFFICER 2: Oh, there's a, there it is. 436 00:20:59,884 --> 00:21:01,552 OFFICER 3: A Mercedes-Benz. 437 00:21:01,552 --> 00:21:02,803 MARIANA: So there's a Mercedes-Benz in front, there's a Jeep here. 438 00:21:02,803 --> 00:21:04,638 OFFICER: Brand new, 350. MARIANA: Wow, brand new. 439 00:21:04,638 --> 00:21:06,182 They're both brand new cars. 440 00:21:11,061 --> 00:21:13,272 OFFICER: So here we have a couple of ships. 441 00:21:13,272 --> 00:21:16,192 MARIANA: The US Customs and Border Protection's main focus 442 00:21:16,192 --> 00:21:19,945 is to intercept contraband coming into the United States, 443 00:21:19,945 --> 00:21:22,198 not heading outbound. 444 00:21:23,991 --> 00:21:25,993 It's just row after row after row here. 445 00:21:25,993 --> 00:21:27,995 OFFICER: Thousands of containers. 446 00:21:27,995 --> 00:21:30,164 This is the largest port on the East Coast. 447 00:21:30,164 --> 00:21:32,291 MARIANA: They estimate that they're only able to inspect 448 00:21:32,291 --> 00:21:36,128 a small fraction of cars leaving the United States. 449 00:21:36,128 --> 00:21:37,546 So that's a VIN number? 450 00:21:37,546 --> 00:21:38,923 OFFICER: This is the VIN number right here on the dash. 451 00:21:38,923 --> 00:21:41,383 MARIANA: Which is good news for the car theft rings 452 00:21:41,383 --> 00:21:43,135 I've been investigating. 453 00:21:43,135 --> 00:21:44,762 OFFICER 2: It's coming up as a positive. 454 00:21:44,762 --> 00:21:46,472 MARIANA: Positive what, stolen? 455 00:21:46,472 --> 00:21:47,890 OFFICER 2: We've got a positive stolen, yeah. 456 00:21:47,890 --> 00:21:48,766 MARIANA: Wow. 457 00:21:48,766 --> 00:21:50,392 So it's immediate, you can tell. 458 00:21:50,392 --> 00:21:51,852 OFFICER: Right away. 459 00:21:51,852 --> 00:21:53,395 MARIANA: If you look inside, you can still see there's 460 00:21:53,395 --> 00:21:54,980 a cell phone charger inside. 461 00:21:54,980 --> 00:21:56,524 OFFICER: Yeah. 462 00:21:56,524 --> 00:21:57,733 MARIANA: So you can see some of the personal belongings of 463 00:21:57,733 --> 00:21:59,026 the person whose vehicle this belonged to. 464 00:21:59,026 --> 00:22:00,528 OFFICER 2: Right out the driveway. 465 00:22:00,528 --> 00:22:02,154 MARIANA: Right out the driveway, yeah. 466 00:22:02,154 --> 00:22:04,406 So does a car like this, now that you've found it's stolen, 467 00:22:04,406 --> 00:22:06,408 and you know eventually who the owner was, 468 00:22:06,408 --> 00:22:08,577 does it go back to the owner or what happens? 469 00:22:08,577 --> 00:22:10,120 OFFICER 2: Well, the insurance had already made the payout, 470 00:22:10,120 --> 00:22:12,039 so this just goes back to the insurance company. 471 00:22:12,039 --> 00:22:14,625 MARIANA: I kind of feel bad for the owner of the car who, stolen. 472 00:22:14,625 --> 00:22:16,377 OFFICER: Like this. MARIANA: Yeah. 473 00:22:16,377 --> 00:22:17,336 And the fact that we're all standing on top of his car right now. 474 00:22:17,336 --> 00:22:18,462 (laughter) 475 00:22:22,091 --> 00:22:24,468 MARIANA: Once a vessel departs for international waters, 476 00:22:24,468 --> 00:22:29,014 the cars that slip through have a much, much slimmer chance for recovery. 477 00:22:29,014 --> 00:22:31,267 OFFICER: This was all the same container, four cars. 478 00:22:31,267 --> 00:22:33,853 Ending with this, the Escalade. 479 00:22:33,853 --> 00:22:35,938 They have it packed with personal effects. 480 00:22:35,938 --> 00:22:37,064 MARIANA: Mm-hmm. 481 00:22:37,064 --> 00:22:38,315 OFFICER: There could be guns in here. 482 00:22:38,315 --> 00:22:39,108 There could be all sorts of different contraband. 483 00:22:39,108 --> 00:22:40,651 MARIANA: Right. 484 00:22:40,651 --> 00:22:42,570 OFFICER: These three cars were in one container. 485 00:22:42,570 --> 00:22:44,613 If you look, you got two of them that were salvage cars, 486 00:22:44,613 --> 00:22:45,823 they're smashed up, 487 00:22:45,823 --> 00:22:48,075 and then we had this here 2021 Land Rover. 488 00:22:48,075 --> 00:22:49,827 Right there, it's a flag for me. 489 00:22:49,827 --> 00:22:50,953 MARIANA: Why? 490 00:22:50,953 --> 00:22:52,454 OFFICER: Something, it's out of place. 491 00:22:52,454 --> 00:22:54,206 You're gonna put a 2021 Land Rover in with two wrecks 492 00:22:54,206 --> 00:22:55,332 where it might get damaged? 493 00:22:55,332 --> 00:22:56,667 MARIANA: Mm-hmm. 494 00:22:56,667 --> 00:23:00,087 How many cars are exported from here every year? 495 00:23:00,087 --> 00:23:02,548 OFFICER: Approximately 400,000 cars a year. 496 00:23:02,548 --> 00:23:04,717 That 30,000 cars a month. 497 00:23:04,717 --> 00:23:06,260 MARIANA: What, you go through all of them, 498 00:23:06,260 --> 00:23:07,636 or how does that work? 499 00:23:07,636 --> 00:23:08,804 OFFICER: It's impossible to go through all of them. 500 00:23:08,804 --> 00:23:12,182 What was found last year was 310 stolen cars 501 00:23:12,182 --> 00:23:13,559 out of this port. 502 00:23:13,559 --> 00:23:17,104 I would like to think that's all of them, 310, 503 00:23:17,104 --> 00:23:19,148 but that's not true. 504 00:23:19,148 --> 00:23:22,484 It's really like finding a needle in a haystack. 505 00:23:22,484 --> 00:23:24,904 MARIANA: So who's actually making money with all this? 506 00:23:24,904 --> 00:23:27,281 OFFICER: Well, everybody involved is making money. 507 00:23:27,281 --> 00:23:29,950 Who's making the most? 508 00:23:29,950 --> 00:23:31,619 My guess is it's overseas. 509 00:23:32,077 --> 00:23:34,371 MARIANA: It hadn't actually occurred to me before that 510 00:23:34,371 --> 00:23:38,250 the real moneymakers of this operation aren't here in the US. 511 00:23:39,376 --> 00:23:42,379 If there's truly that much money to be made overseas, 512 00:23:42,379 --> 00:23:44,048 it begs the question, 513 00:23:44,048 --> 00:23:47,593 "Who's atop this pyramid, and will I be able to find them?" 514 00:23:48,594 --> 00:23:51,680 How soon after a car is stolen does it end up in a container like this? 515 00:23:51,680 --> 00:23:56,936 OFFICER: If somebody is stealing it, let's call it New York, 516 00:23:56,936 --> 00:23:58,729 put it in a container, next couple hours, it's, 517 00:23:58,729 --> 00:24:00,981 it's on terminal ready to be departed. 518 00:24:00,981 --> 00:24:02,024 MARIANA: Wow, could be that fast, 519 00:24:02,024 --> 00:24:03,692 like the same day, next day, kinda. 520 00:24:03,692 --> 00:24:05,194 OFFICER: Could be that day. 521 00:24:08,948 --> 00:24:13,661 They steal 'em from outside, have 'em trucked into Jersey. 522 00:24:16,080 --> 00:24:17,790 Put 'em in a container here. 523 00:24:24,171 --> 00:24:27,132 And out they go to a number of different destinations. 524 00:24:30,260 --> 00:24:33,514 MARIANA: One of the most popular destinations for stolen cars shipped from 525 00:24:33,514 --> 00:24:36,642 the East Coast, is 5,000 miles across 526 00:24:36,642 --> 00:24:39,937 the Atlantic Ocean in West Africa. 527 00:24:43,065 --> 00:24:47,903 ♪ ♪ 528 00:24:47,903 --> 00:24:52,741 ♪ Love all the people ♪♪ 529 00:24:52,741 --> 00:24:54,493 MARIANA: In a developing nation, 530 00:24:54,493 --> 00:24:57,830 owning a car can be synonymous with entry into the middle class. 531 00:24:57,830 --> 00:24:59,957 ♪ Mothers, fathers ♪ 532 00:24:59,957 --> 00:25:02,209 ♪ Set for peace ♪♪ 533 00:25:02,209 --> 00:25:05,087 MARIANA: Nowhere is that more evident than Ghana, 534 00:25:05,087 --> 00:25:08,298 home to one of the fastest-growing economies on the planet. 535 00:25:08,298 --> 00:25:09,633 ♪ All that has been done ♪ 536 00:25:09,633 --> 00:25:11,343 ♪ Can change, can change, can change ♪♪ 537 00:25:11,343 --> 00:25:14,263 MARIANA: Walk around the capital, Accra, and you'll feel the energy, 538 00:25:14,263 --> 00:25:16,765 opportunity is in the air. 539 00:25:16,765 --> 00:25:18,684 ♪ What he said ♪ 540 00:25:18,684 --> 00:25:20,227 ♪ And on and on ♪ 541 00:25:20,978 --> 00:25:24,189 ♪ Understand it ♪ 542 00:25:24,189 --> 00:25:25,941 ♪ Loving mothers, loving fathers ♪♪ 543 00:25:37,953 --> 00:25:39,621 MARIANA: So it's a huge industry here in Ghana. 544 00:25:39,621 --> 00:25:40,456 PETER: Yes. 545 00:25:48,047 --> 00:25:49,506 MARIANA: "Peter" as we'll call him, 546 00:25:49,506 --> 00:25:52,468 is a local investigative journalist who tells me that 547 00:25:52,468 --> 00:25:58,223 rising incomes have opened the door to new black-markets like stolen cars. 548 00:25:58,223 --> 00:26:01,393 What would happen if people found out you were helping us out? 549 00:26:01,393 --> 00:26:06,148 PETER: That would mean that somebody putting an end to your life. 550 00:26:06,148 --> 00:26:08,525 MARIANA: Is it that dangerous? PETER: It's very dangerous. 551 00:26:08,525 --> 00:26:10,694 First of all, you're dealing with a society who, 552 00:26:10,694 --> 00:26:13,572 where people don't want to even accept the fact that 553 00:26:13,572 --> 00:26:16,784 the activity should be investigated in the first place. 554 00:26:16,784 --> 00:26:18,577 MARIANA: Mm-hmm. 555 00:26:18,577 --> 00:26:20,412 So, you think actually that a lot of the people that buy these cars 556 00:26:20,412 --> 00:26:23,040 don't know that they're stolen cars? 557 00:26:23,040 --> 00:26:24,666 PETER: A lot of people don't know. 558 00:26:24,666 --> 00:26:26,293 MARIANA: But some do? PETER: Some do. 559 00:26:26,293 --> 00:26:28,212 But people who know don't care. 560 00:26:28,212 --> 00:26:30,798 Because at the end of the day it's like, do you manufacture cars? 561 00:26:30,798 --> 00:26:32,341 No. 562 00:26:32,341 --> 00:26:36,553 So it's not as if the action is killing any local industry. 563 00:26:36,553 --> 00:26:39,681 MARIANA: The vast majority of cars in Ghana are imported. 564 00:26:39,681 --> 00:26:43,602 In fact, they're the number one imported item in the country. 565 00:26:43,602 --> 00:26:47,564 PETER: People want to have more exotic lives, if you meet an old schoolmate. 566 00:26:47,564 --> 00:26:49,024 MARIANA: Right. 567 00:26:49,024 --> 00:26:51,110 PETER: They're able to judge you by the car you drive. 568 00:26:51,110 --> 00:26:55,697 So everybody wants to drive a good car whether they are cheap or, you know um... 569 00:26:55,697 --> 00:26:57,825 MARIANA: Stolen. PETER: Stolen. 570 00:26:57,825 --> 00:27:02,830 And that's why black-market industries as far as cars is booming here. 571 00:27:02,830 --> 00:27:05,082 MARIANA: So can you tell me more or less how the process works? 572 00:27:05,082 --> 00:27:06,959 So the cars arrive. 573 00:27:06,959 --> 00:27:09,753 PETER: So you find the people they are getting it from these Fraud Boys. 574 00:27:09,753 --> 00:27:10,963 MARIANA: What are they called? 575 00:27:10,963 --> 00:27:12,589 PETER: Fraud Boys. 576 00:27:12,589 --> 00:27:14,842 MARIANA: So the guys involved in this car business, 577 00:27:14,842 --> 00:27:16,260 they're called the Fraud Boys? 578 00:27:16,260 --> 00:27:17,427 PETER: The Fraud Boys, yes. 579 00:27:17,427 --> 00:27:19,138 MARIANA: And everybody knows about them? 580 00:27:19,138 --> 00:27:20,055 It's well-known? 581 00:27:20,055 --> 00:27:21,223 PETER: Everybody. 582 00:27:21,223 --> 00:27:22,850 Everybody knows about them. 583 00:27:22,850 --> 00:27:25,352 MARIANA: And is it all sort of the same syndicate then? 584 00:27:29,439 --> 00:27:31,859 MARIANA: Peter says he can connect me to a contact who's inside their 585 00:27:31,859 --> 00:27:36,446 tight knit circles, but it's unclear what role this person plays. 586 00:27:46,707 --> 00:27:49,084 There's a guy who is somehow involved in this, uh, 587 00:27:49,084 --> 00:27:51,920 car business who's agreed to talk to us. 588 00:27:51,920 --> 00:27:55,924 So we're driving to what might be his house or his business, 589 00:27:55,924 --> 00:27:57,175 I'm not sure. 590 00:27:57,175 --> 00:27:59,219 The sun is actually going down really fast. 591 00:27:59,219 --> 00:28:01,221 It's gonna get dark soon. 592 00:28:01,221 --> 00:28:03,390 You don't wanna get stuck in these unknown roads in the middle of the night. 593 00:28:04,766 --> 00:28:06,685 Well, that didn't happen. 594 00:28:12,524 --> 00:28:14,443 Okay, I'll go out first. 595 00:28:15,944 --> 00:28:19,031 Little did I know that I had just stepped inside 596 00:28:19,031 --> 00:28:22,075 the nerve center of the entire operation. 597 00:28:28,081 --> 00:28:34,463 ♪ ♪ 598 00:28:40,260 --> 00:28:42,095 MARIANA: I learned that there are criminal groups behind 599 00:28:42,095 --> 00:28:44,389 the stolen car game here in Ghana. 600 00:28:44,389 --> 00:28:46,391 They are known as Fraud Boys. 601 00:28:46,725 --> 00:28:51,146 (car horns honking) 602 00:28:51,146 --> 00:28:54,942 I wanted to meet them face-to-face and find out who's pulling the strings. 603 00:28:55,400 --> 00:28:59,655 ♪ I guess they ♪ 604 00:28:59,655 --> 00:29:01,531 ♪ I guess they can ♪♪ 605 00:29:04,159 --> 00:29:06,328 MARIANA: And if you can put your mask up again, sorry. 606 00:29:06,954 --> 00:29:09,164 ♪ I guess they ♪♪ 607 00:29:09,831 --> 00:29:11,208 MARIANA: So how do you wanna be called? 608 00:29:12,542 --> 00:29:13,585 MARIANA: Shadow Walker? SHADOW WALKER: Yes. 609 00:29:13,585 --> 00:29:15,003 MARIANA: Is that your online name? 610 00:29:15,003 --> 00:29:16,088 SHADOW WALKER: Yeah, that's my online name. 611 00:29:18,006 --> 00:29:20,217 MARIANA: In an apartment on the outskirts of Accra, 612 00:29:20,217 --> 00:29:23,512 I connect with one of these infamous Fraud Boys. 613 00:29:23,512 --> 00:29:25,472 What, what is it exactly that you do? 614 00:29:32,771 --> 00:29:36,108 MARIANA: And what I found was the heart of the entire operation. 615 00:29:38,485 --> 00:29:39,319 MARIANA: Okay. 616 00:29:44,950 --> 00:29:47,285 MARIANA: Using an anonymous browser called Tor, 617 00:29:47,285 --> 00:29:50,247 he accesses the dark web and logs into 618 00:29:50,247 --> 00:29:52,541 underground hacker forums where 619 00:29:52,541 --> 00:29:55,502 almost any product is listed for sale. 620 00:29:55,502 --> 00:29:56,712 Oh, cocaine. 621 00:29:56,712 --> 00:29:58,046 Colombian cocaine on the list. 622 00:29:58,046 --> 00:29:58,839 SHADOW WALKER: Yes, of course. MARIANA: Or crack. 623 00:30:04,720 --> 00:30:05,762 MARIANA: Oh, somebody's selling this? 624 00:30:05,762 --> 00:30:07,597 SHADOW WALKER: They, they are selling. 625 00:30:07,597 --> 00:30:10,392 MARIANA: If you've ever received an email from your favorite retailer 626 00:30:10,392 --> 00:30:13,020 apologizing for a huge data breach. 627 00:30:13,020 --> 00:30:15,480 REPORTER (over TV): A massive cyber-attack affecting nearly 628 00:30:15,480 --> 00:30:17,524 50 million Facebook users... 629 00:30:17,524 --> 00:30:19,401 REPORTER 2 (over TV): More than 100 million Capital One credit cards... 630 00:30:19,401 --> 00:30:22,863 MARIAN: It's possible that your identity and credit card information is 631 00:30:22,863 --> 00:30:27,034 being sold at an underground hacker forum just like his. 632 00:30:27,034 --> 00:30:28,493 Is there tons of these for sale? 633 00:30:32,581 --> 00:30:34,166 MARIANA: For $15. SHADOW WALKER: Yeah, for $15. 634 00:30:34,166 --> 00:30:35,751 MARIANA: What? SHADOW WALKER: Yeah. 635 00:30:35,751 --> 00:30:36,793 MARIANA: For a pittance, 636 00:30:36,793 --> 00:30:38,754 paid anonymously in crypto currency, 637 00:30:38,754 --> 00:30:41,465 criminals can buy your credit card info and 638 00:30:41,465 --> 00:30:43,800 load it onto a fresh card. 639 00:30:43,800 --> 00:30:47,262 And then what do you do, uh, with all that information? 640 00:30:52,559 --> 00:30:54,144 MARIANA: In the US? SHADOW WALKER: Yes. 641 00:30:54,144 --> 00:30:55,687 MARIANA: With a stolen credit card and 642 00:30:55,687 --> 00:30:59,900 a fake ID, these guys can walk into any car rental location 643 00:30:59,900 --> 00:31:04,446 and drive off with a car that will wind up 5,000 miles away 644 00:31:04,446 --> 00:31:06,281 on the streets of Accra. 645 00:31:07,199 --> 00:31:08,784 No broken windows. 646 00:31:08,784 --> 00:31:10,368 No fake key fobs. 647 00:31:10,368 --> 00:31:11,703 No carjacking. 648 00:31:11,703 --> 00:31:14,706 Clean and efficient. 649 00:31:14,706 --> 00:31:18,627 It's right about now that I truly grasp who I'm standing next to. 650 00:31:18,627 --> 00:31:20,921 He isn't some entry level page, 651 00:31:20,921 --> 00:31:23,882 but rather a technological wizard who binds 652 00:31:23,882 --> 00:31:26,176 the whole operation together. 653 00:31:26,176 --> 00:31:29,137 And he has one more trick up his sleeve. 654 00:31:29,137 --> 00:31:32,474 So this is a car, let's say, coming from New York to Ghana? 655 00:31:32,474 --> 00:31:33,517 SHADOW WALKER: Yes. 656 00:31:35,560 --> 00:31:36,978 MARIANA: The import fee. SHADOW WALKER: Yes. 657 00:31:40,941 --> 00:31:42,901 MARIANA: Import duties can cost up to 20% 658 00:31:42,901 --> 00:31:44,820 of the market value of a car. 659 00:31:44,820 --> 00:31:46,655 So a brand-new Range Rover 660 00:31:46,655 --> 00:31:49,783 valued at $100,000 would be taxed 20 grand. 661 00:31:54,579 --> 00:31:56,540 MARIANA: So you can hack into the customs service at the harbor. 662 00:31:56,540 --> 00:31:57,374 SHADOW WALKER: Yeah. 663 00:32:00,836 --> 00:32:02,796 MARIANA: I'm blown away by their methods. 664 00:32:02,796 --> 00:32:04,840 In addition to their American contacts who 665 00:32:04,840 --> 00:32:06,842 steal cars the old-fashioned way, 666 00:32:06,842 --> 00:32:10,220 these sophisticated Ghanaian operators have found other, 667 00:32:10,220 --> 00:32:14,057 more ingenious ways to swipe our beloved rides. 668 00:32:16,017 --> 00:32:19,521 It all points to the kingpin at the top of the pyramid and 669 00:32:19,521 --> 00:32:22,774 I want to meet whoever that is, face-to-face. 670 00:32:22,774 --> 00:32:26,403 Do you know anyone who's involved in other parts of the car business? 671 00:32:36,913 --> 00:32:39,916 MARIANA: I keep pushing, and after some persistence, 672 00:32:39,916 --> 00:32:42,544 a contact finally leads me to the breakthrough 673 00:32:42,544 --> 00:32:46,381 I've been searching for, a meeting with a mastermind. 674 00:32:50,969 --> 00:32:52,888 We're actually very close to the location. 675 00:32:52,888 --> 00:32:55,473 It seems like a really nice neighborhood here, right? 676 00:32:55,473 --> 00:32:56,433 There's a bunch of big houses. 677 00:32:59,311 --> 00:33:00,145 MARIANA: Okay. 678 00:33:01,855 --> 00:33:03,106 MARIANA: Is this someone that we should trust? 679 00:33:09,321 --> 00:33:14,659 ♪ ♪ 680 00:33:18,580 --> 00:33:19,831 (knocking on door) 681 00:33:21,625 --> 00:33:22,584 (knocks) 682 00:33:32,219 --> 00:33:36,681 ♪ ♪ 683 00:33:36,681 --> 00:33:38,141 (knocking on door) 684 00:33:39,476 --> 00:33:40,352 (knocks) 685 00:33:41,937 --> 00:33:43,021 MARIANA: Hi. 686 00:33:52,739 --> 00:33:55,325 Um, thank you for meeting us. 687 00:33:55,325 --> 00:33:58,161 Um, what, what is this? 688 00:33:58,161 --> 00:33:59,287 What car is this? 689 00:33:59,287 --> 00:34:02,624 IVAN: This is a Mercedes-Benz C250. 690 00:34:02,624 --> 00:34:04,251 MARIANA: It's a nice car. 691 00:34:04,251 --> 00:34:07,170 And it's from, it's stolen? 692 00:34:07,170 --> 00:34:11,216 IVAN: Uh, yeah, this came from the States. 693 00:34:11,216 --> 00:34:12,842 MARIANA: Do you know where in the States? 694 00:34:12,842 --> 00:34:15,428 IVAN: I have no idea where in the States where it's coming from. 695 00:34:15,428 --> 00:34:18,014 MARIANA: Like many of these underworld first dates, 696 00:34:18,014 --> 00:34:21,017 the vibe is tense, suspicious. 697 00:34:21,017 --> 00:34:23,019 He asked to be called Ivan, 698 00:34:23,019 --> 00:34:25,313 and I can sense that he's sizing me up. 699 00:34:25,313 --> 00:34:27,274 When did this arrive in Ghana? 700 00:34:27,274 --> 00:34:28,566 IVAN: Two, three months ago. 701 00:34:28,566 --> 00:34:29,776 MARIANA: Two, three months ago. 702 00:34:29,776 --> 00:34:31,194 And do you have people interested already? 703 00:34:31,194 --> 00:34:33,905 IVAN: This happens to be in a garage, so. 704 00:34:33,905 --> 00:34:37,617 MARIANA: Oh, so this is in a car dealership, what we call in the US, in a garage. 705 00:34:37,617 --> 00:34:38,743 IVAN: Yes, yes, this was in a car dealership. 706 00:34:38,743 --> 00:34:40,578 MARIANA: So it's one of several there? 707 00:34:40,578 --> 00:34:42,789 IVAN: Like this is what I have available at the moment. 708 00:34:42,789 --> 00:34:44,666 MARIANA: Can I go inside? IVAN: Yeah, sure. 709 00:34:44,666 --> 00:34:45,917 Be my guest. 710 00:34:46,376 --> 00:34:49,170 MARIANA: So crazy to think of that just a couple of months ago, 711 00:34:49,170 --> 00:34:51,464 this car was in the US belonging to somebody else. 712 00:34:53,466 --> 00:34:55,760 What other cars came in the same sort of shipment as this one? 713 00:35:00,432 --> 00:35:02,142 MARIANA: The mood starts to relax. 714 00:35:02,142 --> 00:35:04,352 I feel like he's warming up to me. 715 00:35:04,352 --> 00:35:07,772 He tells me that his group is one of the bigger operations in Accra, 716 00:35:07,772 --> 00:35:11,568 and that they buy stolen cars in bulk shipments. 717 00:35:11,568 --> 00:35:12,819 How much did you pay for this one? 718 00:35:12,819 --> 00:35:14,029 IVAN: This one? MARIANA: Yeah. 719 00:35:17,198 --> 00:35:18,366 MARIANA: I know, but how much? 720 00:35:18,366 --> 00:35:19,451 I just want to get a sense of the amount. 721 00:35:19,451 --> 00:35:20,952 IVAN: So... 722 00:35:24,164 --> 00:35:26,416 MARIANA: But ultimately he plays coy. 723 00:35:26,416 --> 00:35:29,544 In spite of my efforts to get more information from him, 724 00:35:29,544 --> 00:35:33,632 he ended up refusing to answer most of my questions. 725 00:35:33,632 --> 00:35:35,300 How do I open this? 726 00:35:35,300 --> 00:35:37,385 So I decide to poke around and 727 00:35:37,385 --> 00:35:41,222 see if I can learn anything more about this mystery car. 728 00:35:41,222 --> 00:35:43,933 Oh, and this is because the GPS has been cut out? 729 00:35:47,562 --> 00:35:49,898 MARIANA: Wow, so check this out, this is tampered with. 730 00:35:52,525 --> 00:35:53,985 What's in here? 731 00:35:57,364 --> 00:35:59,199 Is this the Red Lobster? 732 00:35:59,199 --> 00:36:00,533 Do you have Red Lobster here? 733 00:36:00,533 --> 00:36:02,535 IVAN: No. MARIANA: Oh, my God. 734 00:36:02,535 --> 00:36:03,870 Virginia! 735 00:36:04,913 --> 00:36:05,747 MARIANA: It's still... 736 00:36:06,790 --> 00:36:08,625 MARIANA: I will, I will. 737 00:36:08,625 --> 00:36:09,959 So we're close to knowing that at least the person was in Virginia. 738 00:36:12,837 --> 00:36:15,173 MARIANA: You tried to hide that as soon as possible. 739 00:36:15,173 --> 00:36:16,716 He doesn't want to really show that. 740 00:36:16,716 --> 00:36:18,593 I won't say the city in Virginia. 741 00:36:18,593 --> 00:36:19,678 There was also a city in Virginia. 742 00:36:19,678 --> 00:36:20,512 I didn't say that. 743 00:36:20,512 --> 00:36:23,431 (phone ringing) 744 00:36:23,431 --> 00:36:24,265 IVAN: Uh, just a minute. 745 00:36:24,265 --> 00:36:25,725 I don't know. 746 00:36:25,725 --> 00:36:26,810 MARIANA: Maybe it's somebody who wants to buy this car. 747 00:36:26,810 --> 00:36:27,727 IVAN: Okay. 748 00:36:27,727 --> 00:36:28,687 (laughs) 749 00:36:34,651 --> 00:36:36,111 MARIANA: He's driving off. 750 00:36:36,111 --> 00:36:40,198 He left before I could get what I wanted, a confession. 751 00:36:40,198 --> 00:36:43,910 A tell-all interview about the whole stolen car operation 752 00:36:43,910 --> 00:36:45,745 from one of the big players. 753 00:36:45,745 --> 00:36:48,373 The stolen Mercedes-Benz that 754 00:36:48,373 --> 00:36:51,000 got here just a few months ago from the US. 755 00:36:51,000 --> 00:36:53,920 I'm dying to know more about this car's history. 756 00:36:53,920 --> 00:36:54,879 Who owned it? 757 00:36:54,879 --> 00:36:56,256 Do they miss it? 758 00:36:56,256 --> 00:36:59,092 And do they have any idea where their car is now? 759 00:36:59,759 --> 00:37:03,012 Back in America, I get some answers about this mystery car 760 00:37:03,012 --> 00:37:04,764 from Detective Paula Brunetto 761 00:37:04,764 --> 00:37:06,808 with the Connecticut State Police. 762 00:37:06,808 --> 00:37:10,019 She's been investigating car theft rings for decades. 763 00:37:10,019 --> 00:37:14,441 PAULA: Yeah, I looked at the VIN and, um, so it's from a 2014 Mercedes-Benz 764 00:37:14,441 --> 00:37:17,944 that was involved in a serious crash which 765 00:37:17,944 --> 00:37:19,988 caused it to be a total loss. 766 00:37:19,988 --> 00:37:21,614 No one's going to drive this car. 767 00:37:21,614 --> 00:37:24,200 You're telling me that you saw this car in Africa being driven, 768 00:37:24,200 --> 00:37:25,952 and it was not smashed up, right? 769 00:37:25,952 --> 00:37:27,078 MARIANA: No, it's a beautiful Mercedes-Benz. 770 00:37:27,078 --> 00:37:28,204 PAULA: Okay. 771 00:37:28,204 --> 00:37:30,165 So the car you saw was probably stolen. 772 00:37:30,165 --> 00:37:32,375 MARIANA: With a VIN belonging... 773 00:37:32,375 --> 00:37:35,128 PAULA: With a VIN number from this one that was totaled in a horrific crash in Florida. 774 00:37:35,128 --> 00:37:38,923 MARIANA: A stolen car's VIN number would be flagged by authorities, 775 00:37:38,923 --> 00:37:42,010 but a totaled car's VIN wouldn't. 776 00:37:42,010 --> 00:37:45,388 So there is no way that the VIN on that car that I saw was 777 00:37:45,388 --> 00:37:46,973 the real VIN number for that car? 778 00:37:46,973 --> 00:37:49,976 PAULA: I very, very much doubt that the car you saw in Africa 779 00:37:49,976 --> 00:37:51,978 was the same exact car. 780 00:37:51,978 --> 00:37:54,397 The VIN number on that car was re-VINed and 781 00:37:54,397 --> 00:37:56,441 is being driven around in another country. 782 00:37:56,441 --> 00:37:58,193 MARIANA: With some clever coordination, 783 00:37:58,193 --> 00:38:01,529 the Fraud Boys can swap out the VIN of a stolen car, 784 00:38:01,529 --> 00:38:04,866 with the same make and model that they pick up at a salvage auction. 785 00:38:07,994 --> 00:38:08,870 MARIANA: There's nothing to worry about? 786 00:38:10,830 --> 00:38:13,041 MARIANA: It raises a question about who's really calling 787 00:38:13,041 --> 00:38:15,043 the shots in these operations. 788 00:38:15,043 --> 00:38:17,170 And who's making most of the money. 789 00:38:18,713 --> 00:38:20,298 I needed to get some answers, 790 00:38:20,298 --> 00:38:23,176 so I asked Ivan if he'd be willing to meet me again. 791 00:38:24,761 --> 00:38:25,929 In our first meeting, 792 00:38:25,929 --> 00:38:28,973 he didn't divulge much information, 793 00:38:28,973 --> 00:38:31,935 and it's rare to get a follow-up meeting with a top dog, 794 00:38:31,935 --> 00:38:33,853 but I'm hoping it will happen. 795 00:38:33,853 --> 00:38:36,439 I know there's a lot more he's not telling me. 796 00:38:38,441 --> 00:38:42,320 We were actually told to wait in this, uh, parking lot by this church. 797 00:38:43,363 --> 00:38:44,823 Okay. 798 00:38:45,573 --> 00:38:47,617 This is where he's supposed to meet us. 799 00:38:47,617 --> 00:38:48,785 I wasn't sure if he'd show up. 800 00:38:57,001 --> 00:38:58,795 MARIANA: But now, it's go-time. 801 00:39:04,884 --> 00:39:09,764 ♪ ♪ 802 00:39:12,475 --> 00:39:14,978 MARIANA: I managed to convince one of the top Fraud Boys 803 00:39:14,978 --> 00:39:19,524 in the stolen car game in Ghana to meet me for a rare second interview. 804 00:39:21,109 --> 00:39:23,778 I'm hoping this will be my chance for a tell-all, 805 00:39:23,778 --> 00:39:27,031 to see the stolen car world through his eyes. 806 00:39:29,367 --> 00:39:32,245 And here's another club and here you go, more fancy cars. 807 00:39:32,245 --> 00:39:33,538 You've got more Mercedes. 808 00:39:33,538 --> 00:39:35,081 IVAN: Mm-hmm. 809 00:39:35,081 --> 00:39:37,375 MARIANA: He takes me to an area known for nightlife in Accra. 810 00:39:37,375 --> 00:39:42,213 A place where he and fellow Fraud Boys come to woo potential clients. 811 00:39:42,213 --> 00:39:44,299 Mercedes, Mercedes are big here, huh? 812 00:39:44,299 --> 00:39:45,842 IVAN: Mercedes... MARIANA: Maserati. 813 00:39:45,842 --> 00:39:46,843 Do you think that's stolen? 814 00:39:49,762 --> 00:39:50,930 MARIANA: You, really? 815 00:40:02,442 --> 00:40:03,818 MARIANA: How much money do you think we're talking about? 816 00:40:13,453 --> 00:40:14,704 MARIANA: Up until this point, 817 00:40:14,704 --> 00:40:16,706 I had assumed that the American criminals were 818 00:40:16,706 --> 00:40:20,877 the masterminds of these operations and that West Africa prove to be 819 00:40:20,877 --> 00:40:23,296 a useful place to offload their merchandise. 820 00:40:30,303 --> 00:40:31,846 MARIANA: So who's making most of the money? 821 00:40:35,475 --> 00:40:38,937 MARIANA: But he's finally spilling the beans and as it turns out, 822 00:40:38,937 --> 00:40:40,813 it's actually the opposite. 823 00:40:40,813 --> 00:40:42,023 So you make most of the money? 824 00:40:47,403 --> 00:40:49,530 MARIANA: The Fraud Boys are not just the buyers, 825 00:40:49,530 --> 00:40:52,200 they're the masterminds of the operation. 826 00:40:53,743 --> 00:40:58,456 And have found willing American criminals to do their dirty work. 827 00:40:59,415 --> 00:41:00,917 The chain is sort of separate from... 828 00:41:02,377 --> 00:41:03,252 MARIANA: Cut off, so that you don't know what happens on the other side... 829 00:41:05,046 --> 00:41:07,006 MARIANA: Right, and that protects the whole enterprise. 830 00:41:08,800 --> 00:41:11,302 MARIANA: It's guys like Ivan in West Africa, who are actually 831 00:41:11,302 --> 00:41:14,222 at the top of the pyramid in these international car theft rings. 832 00:41:17,225 --> 00:41:19,435 IVAN: Everybody wants cheap stuff in Africa. 833 00:41:19,435 --> 00:41:20,603 MARIANA: So even rich people buy one that's cheap. 834 00:41:29,862 --> 00:41:30,697 MARIANA: Oh, yeah, that's a deal. 835 00:41:31,864 --> 00:41:33,866 MARIANA: But that, wouldn't that raise flags, a car that's a third of. 836 00:41:35,702 --> 00:41:37,745 MARIANA: But at least it would raise some sort of suspicion, right? 837 00:41:37,745 --> 00:41:40,498 For the buyer, wouldn't they think for a second, "Oh, maybe this is." 838 00:41:42,625 --> 00:41:43,584 MARIANA: So it goes really deep. 839 00:41:49,841 --> 00:41:51,926 MARIANA: The Fraud Boys, like the name suggests, 840 00:41:51,926 --> 00:41:54,554 are always on the lookout for the next opportunity, 841 00:41:54,554 --> 00:41:55,930 the next scam. 842 00:41:58,975 --> 00:41:59,809 MARIANA: Right. 843 00:42:03,229 --> 00:42:04,397 MARIANA: Their tentacles stretch into 844 00:42:04,397 --> 00:42:06,149 all sorts of criminal activities. 845 00:42:06,149 --> 00:42:09,485 Money laundering, romance scams, gold fraud, 846 00:42:09,485 --> 00:42:11,654 they're part of a growing syndicate 847 00:42:11,654 --> 00:42:13,573 that's way bigger than I'd imagined. 848 00:42:14,449 --> 00:42:16,868 Do you feel sorry for the people that woke up one morning and 849 00:42:16,868 --> 00:42:18,327 they don't have their cars outside their houses? 850 00:42:25,001 --> 00:42:26,377 MARIANA: Okay but isn't there a little part of you that thinks, 851 00:42:26,377 --> 00:42:28,421 "The poor guy doesn't have a car. 852 00:42:28,421 --> 00:42:30,256 Maybe he, like, saved all his money to buy this car?" 853 00:42:36,137 --> 00:42:37,138 MARIANA: Right, it's far away. 854 00:42:40,892 --> 00:42:43,936 MARIANA: With so much distance between the steal and the sell, 855 00:42:43,936 --> 00:42:46,647 it's not hard to imagine feeling disconnected. 856 00:42:48,066 --> 00:42:49,442 He might not feel guilty, 857 00:42:49,442 --> 00:42:51,235 but others do. 858 00:42:51,986 --> 00:42:53,071 Do you ever feel bad for the people? 859 00:43:10,296 --> 00:43:11,672 MARIANA: Do you feel bad at all? 860 00:43:11,672 --> 00:43:14,759 KLEPTO: No, I need the money just probably badder, 861 00:43:14,759 --> 00:43:16,469 more than worse than they do. 862 00:43:16,469 --> 00:43:18,638 MARIANA: No matter how you feel about 863 00:43:18,638 --> 00:43:21,307 the justifications for stealing these cars. 864 00:43:21,307 --> 00:43:26,562 The truth is, as long as the orders keep coming from this side of the Atlantic, 865 00:43:26,562 --> 00:43:31,484 the entire underground pipeline is bound to keep thriving. 866 00:43:33,694 --> 00:43:35,613 There's no real deterrent to stop doing this, right? 867 00:43:39,659 --> 00:43:42,453 MARIANA: How many cars do you estimate are being stolen every day in this city? 868 00:43:42,453 --> 00:43:43,788 KLEPTO: Oh, hundreds. 869 00:43:43,788 --> 00:43:46,249 (sirens wailing) 870 00:43:46,249 --> 00:43:47,375 Hundreds. 871 00:43:47,375 --> 00:43:48,459 I mean, we don't just steal them here. 872 00:43:48,459 --> 00:43:49,168 MARIANA: They are all across the country? 873 00:43:49,168 --> 00:43:50,086 KLEPTO: Yeah, oh, yeah. 874 00:44:06,769 --> 00:44:07,979 Captioned by Cotter Media Group.