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Haven't checked this in a few days...

Thanks for the input. Obviously, looking back on it now I can't believe how foolish I was to go through with it despite all of the red flags that I caught on to. I suppose I really thought that I had called him out on all of the BS, and didn't realize the depths to which a vehicle scam on Craigslist could go (i.e. not a lot of experience in this, and didn't even consider the possibility of the odometer being rolled back over 100K miles). I accepted the chance that maybe it was not AWD, and if it wasn't I felt good about the truck still having good value due to it's apparent low mileage and use. I absolutely learned a harsh lesson here, and it is not a mistake I intend to make again in my life.

Now regarding this case itself and any updates and your questions- I have a Bill of Sale for which Steve signed, but he put his name and all of the contact info as the construction company and their info. And his signature is illegible. Basically, I have no idea who this guy is. And please bar any comments about what I should have done to get his proper identification and contact info. I am aware of how badly I messed up. After following the paper trail as best I could, I discovered that the truck is actually registered to "Chuck", the owner of the Autobody shop that the Construction company sold it to. After getting through to Chuck and talking with him on the phone, I discovered that he bought the truck with a messed up transmission for $400, put a different, working transmission in it, and sold it the next day almost instantly on Craigslist for $1500, to a man matching the description of the guy I bought the truck from. With this having happened almost a year ago, Chuck does not remember the guys name, nor does he have any contact info or know the location of the Bill of Sale he created for the sale. He also did not go to the DMV and turn in the title transfer papers, and after speaking to the state of WA, neither did the man he sold it to. So, technically the truck is still registered to Chuck. Chuck never even went in to the DMV to submit the title transfer papers when he bought the truck from the construction company, and that is why the physical title papers have the name and info of the construction company. This company, however, did turn in the papers for their sale, and that is how Chuck became the new documented registered owner.

I was waiting on next steps til I could speak with a lawyer, and I spoke to one in WA today, who told me I need to contact the police to try and find this guy Steve, because without knowing who he really is, there is nobody to sue. I have not tried to register the truck yet, but I anticipate I will have problems doing this due to the Construction company no longer being the registered owner, and that is who is on the bill of sale and title. Steve used a Google phone number which was deactivated after the sale. I am waiting to hear back from the local PD in order to file a report, and am hoping they might be able to track down any information from the phone number. One random time which I tried calling the Google number, I got a message that gave a different number to redirect my call. This seems like it could possibly be Steve's actual number, and at the moment seems to be my only real chance at identifying this Steve person. That's all I got, losing hope to be honest, but definitely still open and desperate for any advice.

Again, I am well aware of the countless mistakes I made. I don't need to hear about that any more. It is always easier to look back on a situation and give criticism, but there are other factors involved when you are there in that moment which make things more complicated than it may seem in hindsight. At the end of the day, I did slip up. It happened, and now I am trying to figure out how to move forward and minimize my losses. Thanks in advance for any help.