Nigerian Man Claims American Woman Scammed Him Out of $147K Vehicle | Carscoops

      A businessman is accusing a Missouri broker of failing to deliver a Lexus LX600 for which he claims he fully paid.

      Ten hours ago

      By Chris Chilton

      A Nigerian entrepreneur has filed a lawsuit against a woman from Missouri regarding a missing Lexus.

      Briggs Egharevba made a payment of nearly $150,000 in October but has yet to receive the vehicle.

      He is suing a broker based in St. Louis for fraud and breach of contract.

      Picture this: you order your dream car and hand over $147,000 to make that happen, only to receive… nothing at all. This is what one Nigerian individual alleges has occurred, leading him to seek recourse through the US legal system to recover his money.

      Briggs Egharevba connected with Adesuwa Renee Ogiozee, the owner of Adesuwa Auto LLC, an online luxury car brokerage, in early October 2023.

      Egharevba expressed interest in purchasing a Lexus LX and transferred a total of $147,000 to cover the vehicle's $143,000 price, an additional $3,000 for shipping, and a $1,000 brokerage fee, according to Fox2.

      Everything seemed to be proceeding well. Ogiozee provided photos of the LX600 and later informed Egharevba that he could expect delivery in the last week of November. However, that delivery never took place.

      Instead, over the following 18 months, Egharevba received numerous excuses from Ogiozee citing delays related to holiday shipping periods, inspections, and paperwork.

      Eventually, Egharevba concluded that the Lexus was never even ordered after becoming frustrated by the constant delays and realizing the pictures he received of “his” SUV were merely stock images.

      What makes this situation particularly intriguing is the international dimension: a Nigerian buyer placing trust in a US seller for a substantial amount of money, seemingly anticipating a significant return.

      As that expectation did not materialize, Egharevba is suing Ogiozee for violations of Missouri's Merchandising Practices Act, fraudulent misrepresentation, breach of contract, unjust enrichment, and conversion, as reported by Fox2. He is seeking the return of the $147,000 he paid, along with legal fees and additional compensation.

      Fraud Schemes Evolve

      Luxury car scams are not a new phenomenon, although this particular case differs from those most commonly reported this year. In February, we covered incidents where criminals were infiltrating transport companies' computer systems to alter the delivery addresses for Ferraris and Rolls-Royces.

      During that same month, police apprehended three individuals from Russia and Armenia as they attempted to claim a bright orange Lamborghini Urus.