WKMG News 6 ClickOrlando investigative reporter Louis Bolden opens his report with a warning that hits like a gut punch: online vehicle scams are no longer rare, and they’re targeting “hardworking families” in ways that feel disturbingly professional.
Bolden’s story centers on an Orange County couple who thought they’d found the ideal vehicle through Facebook Marketplace. Instead, they wired away their life savings and watched the seller vanish like smoke.
What makes this case sting is how normal it starts. No shady alley meetup. No sketchy “cash only” text chain. Bolden shows a scam that appears organized, documented, and polished – right up until the moment the money clears.
A Chevy Avalanche, A Simple Dream, And A Smooth Sales Pitch
Bolden introduces Jeffrey Kolkedy, a man who enjoys his 2002 Chevy Avalanche enough that he wanted a newer one with similar features. He even shows off parts of the truck, talking about tool boxes and how the back comes out.
That detail matters because it makes the motive relatable. This wasn’t greed. This wasn’t someone chasing a ridiculous deal because they thought they were smarter than everyone else…