DORAL, Fla. – A South Florida car dealership, Kars2Go, is under fire following multiple allegations of fraudulent activity, including unauthorized loans, inflated prices, and forged signatures.
While attorneys argue there is a clear pattern of deception, the dealership insists all transactions are legitimate and conducted with customer consent.
Kars2Go is located at 1306 South State Road 7 in Fort Lauderdale.
Samantha Thompson had been saving for years to surprise her mother with a car for her 50th birthday.
She found a 2016 Honda HR-V on Facebook Marketplace, advertised for $7,999. After negotiating with the dealership, she and her husband agreed on a $6,800 cash price. But what should have been a straightforward purchase quickly turned into a financial nightmare.
Thompson later discovered a loan in her and her husband’s names for over $11,000 at a staggering 20% interest rate—bringing the total cost to more than $21,000.
“I have been scammed,” Thompson said.
Her attorney, Daren Stabinski, claims the dealership applied for a loan without her husband’s consent.
Text messages show Thompson’s husband confirming the advertised price of $7,999 before making the deal. However, he was rushed through paperwork and misled about what he was signing, Thompson alleges.
“He speaks little English,” she explained, adding that she was on the phone listening as he signed the documents.
“When she confronted Kars2Go about the loan, they laughed in her face,” Stabinski stated. “They told her, ‘If you don’t want to pay, keep the car—we’ll repo it.’”
The dealership eventually repossessed the SUV, leaving Thompson devastated.
“Most of the signatures were electronic, but my client never did any electronic signatures,” Stabinski added.
“We found that this dealership tends to prey on people who speak limited English or have difficulty reading English because they can be easily misled into signing documents they don’t fully understand,” he continued.
Another customer, Ruperto Guzman, had a similar experience. He negotiated what he believed was an out-the-door price of $17,000 for a 2018 Toyota Tacoma, paying $9,000 in cash up front with plans to pay the remaining balance in cash within two months. Instead, he later discovered financing paperwork listing a loan for $30,960.
“He’s now on the hook for $31,000,” said his attorney, Michael Salazar. “He needs the truck for work, so he has no choice but to keep paying for a loan he never agreed to.”
Guzman speaks no English.
Attorneys say these are not isolated incidents.
“Between my partner and me, we have five cases,” Salazar revealed. “All our clients are minorities with limited English skills, and they’re being deceived.”
Stabinski echoed his concerns: “It’s rare to see multiple cases against the same dealership. They have the same M.O. across all our clients, and there are undoubtedly more victims.”
Kars2Go currently holds an ‘F’ rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and has accumulated 24 unanswered complaints. Since 2020, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) has investigated the dealership 12 times but found no violations. There are no ongoing state investigations.
Florida law requires car dealerships to maintain a $25,000 surety bond to protect consumers from fraud or contract violations. However, this amount has remained unchanged since the 1980s and is often inadequate to cover consumer losses.
Stabinski says four claims have already been filed against Kars2Go’s bond, meaning affected consumers must split the limited payout.
Kars2Go and its parent company, Valerisa Motors, declined to speak on camera but issued a written statement denying all allegations of fraudulent activity.
They assert that all transactions are conducted transparently, with customer consent and signed documentation. The dealership claims online prices reflect base costs, with additional fees disclosed during negotiations. They also deny forging signatures or falsifying financing documents.
In response to specific allegations, Kars2Go stated:
On Samantha Thompson’s case: The $6,800 was a down payment, and all financing terms were explained at the time of signing. They maintain that electronic signatures were securely processed and authorized. Thompson, however, claims there was no computer or tablet present during the paperwork process that could have generated an electronic signature for the loan documents.
On Ruperto Guzman’s case: The price increase to $25,419.48 included taxes, fees, and optional add-ons, all of which were disclosed before signing. They deny falsifying financing documents and claim Guzman knowingly agreed to the financing terms.
With multiple consumers coming forward, attorneys urge others who may have had similar experiences to step up.
“They’re doing this in the open, targeting vulnerable people through platforms like Facebook Marketplace,” Salazar said. “We want these fraudulent loans canceled and these customers made whole.”
For now, the legal battle continues, and consumers are reminded of a crucial lesson: always read and understand every document before signing.