A would be police officer recruit and Finance Manager at Red Rock GMC was allegedly caught pretending to be a customer on verification calls with the lender.
She was charged with forgery, criminal impersonation and identity theft after being accused of impersonating customers in phone calls with Canvas Credit Union.
During Funding The Fraud Scheme Unraveled
In September of 2022, car shopper Mia Bozof went to Red Rock GMC and purchased a 2017 Dodge Durango.
The dealership sent the application and all the documentation to Canvas Credit Union for funding.
But perhaps the dealerships spidey senses were on high alert that something was wrong with the documents so they informed Red Rock GMC they needed to speak to the borrower directly.
The next day, Canvas Credit Union got a call from phone number (970) 216-4406 from a man and woman claiming to be the borrower.
Interestingly enough that phone number returns to the Finance Managers office at Red Rock GMC and not the borrower.
During the call, Canvas Credit Union became suspicious because they had previously spoken to the borrower Mia on the phone before and the woman on the phone sounded nothing like her real voice.
During the call, the Credit Union wanted to verify additional details on the application and about the car to make sure they were truthful.
- The features on the Dodge Durango Mia bought
- The income that Mia had reported on the application
- The residence that Mia said she lived at
- Who would be the primary driver of the car
These types of calls are pretty typical when banks want to confirm data on applications because they can often root out fraud.
The woman impersonating Mia on the phone confirmed everything on the application was correct including the features on the car.
They Were Suspicious So They Hung Up And Dialed The Borrower Directly
After the call, the underwriter was suspicious so she called the borrower back directly to their home phone and reached the real Mia.
That is when they discovered the truth and all the lies that were on the application
The Dodge Durango Was PowerBooked
The dealership reported that the vehicle had running boards, rear seat entertainment, rear bucket seats and blind spot alert. These items would increase the value of the vehicle by thousands, but those features were simply not on the vehicle.
The Income Was Inflated
The income that Mia reported to the dealership was not what they put on the application. When the bank verified what Mia actually made she stated it was incorrect.
Her Time At Residence Was Inflated
The dealership wrote in the application that Mia lived at her own house for 22 years. When the bank verified with her directly they found that she lived with her mother for only 2 years and her mother helped with the rent.
Mia Called The Police And Finance Manager Was Arrested
After Mia received the call, she and her husband William Burton called the Grand Junction Police Department to report that they were victims of criminal impersonation, forgery and identity theft.
The police investigated and called the dealership to speak with the General Manager. He informed them that two former finance managers Matthew Morris, and Tiffany Miller were responsible for the impersonation calls.
Apparently they blamed the borrowers for the impersonation claiming that Mia and her husband were not being responsive to the credit union in funding the loan.
Tiffany Miller Actually Was A Police Recruit
What makes this case extra strange is that Tiffany Miller, the woman accused of impersonating the customer was actually applying to be a police officer at the time of the arrest.
She was fired from the dealership, but claimed that she quit because the commute was too long.
Read The Entire Arrest Affidavit Here
You can read all of the details in the arrest affidavit here. Apparently both Tiffany and Matthew Morris said that impersonating borrowers was actually encouraged at the dealership!