A BC Lower Mainland man who was scammed while selling his Porsche Cayenne online is sharing his cautionary tale — as he calls for increased government protection.

Mehrdad Ebrahimnezhad was among the victims of a recent fraud scheme that targeted both individuals and dealers selling high-end cars because announced by the RCMP last week.

Authorities said three suspects used fraudulent wire transfers to purchase 16 vehicles, with the victims’ total losses totaling more than $850,000.

Ebrahimnezha sold his Cayenne for $87,000 — only to find out the bank draft he received from the buyer he met on Facebook Marketplace was fake.

“I didn’t even know there were fake bank drafts in Canada,” he said. “I am originally from Iran, they have a central banking system, they can check if a bank draft is fake or not.”

In Canada, only the issuing bank can immediately determine whether a certificate is a forgery.

Ebrahimnezhad was also frustrated to realize that the buyer had provided a stolen ID card when they went together to an ICBC-affiliated Autoplan dealer to fill out the vehicle transfer forms.

The employee looked at the ID but never ran a check to make sure it was legitimate or asked for a second piece of ID – neither of which are required by BC law.

“When I asked them, they said they don’t have an ID verification policy,” Ebrahimnezhad said. “If you’re transferring a title, why shouldn’t you ask for ID verification?”

In a statement, ICBC acknowledged the seller had been put in a “very distressing situation” but said it was up to buyers and sellers to protect themselves during these transactions.

“This unfortunate case is a reminder to anyone who might be selling or buying a used vehicle to do their research and take every precaution to avoid being scammed,” a spokesman said.

ICBC also echoed a recommendation from the RCMP to verify wire transfers at the originating financial institution before completing a sale.

Three suspects – Ka Tin Hong, Shing Wai Wong and Pui Hei Chu – face 30 criminal charges in connection with the purchases, including fraud over $5,000, identity crimes and assisting a criminal organization.

Authorities said they also recovered 10 of the 16 vehicles allegedly purchased with fake registrations, including Ebrahimnezhad’s, after he saw the vehicle for sale through a dealership.

He believes he led investigators to the suspects.

“Once I reported my car to the RCMP, they got there and the dealer said the person was bringing in another car,” he said. “They tracked down the seller and caught the group.”

Although his situation could have ended much worse, Ebrahimnezhad said he had to pay a lawyer $7,000 to make sure he could get his Cayenne back from the dealership, which also lost tens of thousands of dollars which he paid in cash for the vehicle.

He’s considering a lawsuit against the government, arguing that a simple extra check could save others like him from being taken for a ride.

“They need to modernize their system, they need to update their policies,” Ebrahimnezhad said. “Because the scammers know how the system works.”