Tennessee man sold his pickup truck after GM Financial said the balance was zero — now he’s out of the truck and money

A routine sale on Facebook Marketplace turned into a nightmare for a Tennessee truck owner who says he did everything right, only to see his money disappear and his nearly new pickup disappear across state lines.

Michael Phillips listed his 2025 Chevrolet Silverado for sale online, expecting the usual back-and-forth that comes with private-party transactions. What he didn’t expect was to become the latest victim of what appears to be a growing scam targeting GM Financial customers.

According to Phillips, the buyer presented himself as a legitimate buyer and suggested completing the payment through a three-way call with GM Financial. Sounds safe.

During the call, Phillips says he received confirmation that the loan balance was zero and that he was released from the contract. For him, that was a green light. The creditor’s word was good. The truck has been paid for. The deal was done.

Trusting this confirmation, Phillips handed over the keys to the Silverado.

Then everything changed.

The confirmation disappears and the lender says it’s still on the hook

Shortly after the transaction, the money that was supposed to have been compensated disappeared. The balance that had indicated zero was no longer settled.

Phillips says GM Financial later reversed course, telling him that because he sold the truck to a third party rather than through a dealership, he was still responsible.

“I would never release my vehicle to someone if they didn’t show a zero balance,” Phillips said. From his perspective, he had followed the rules. He had implicated the creditor. He had obtained confirmation. However, he now found himself without a truck and still on the hook financially.

Phillips provided documentation to local reporters that he says confirms GM Financial initially approved the sale. But after that point, he claims communication stalled. With no truck and no clear resolution, he tried to report the vehicle stolen.

This led to another roadblock.

Police say it was not stolen

When contacted by the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, Phillips says deputies declined to report the truck as stolen because he voluntarily surrendered the keys. Legally, this distinction matters. It was not carjacked. He was not physically forced. He had completed what he thought was a legitimate sale.

Frustrated and determined, Phillips took matters into his own hands. Using the truck’s transponder data, he traced its location to Georgia. He rented a car, collected paperwork and drove to the Atlanta Police Department to personally track the drive.

By the time authorities investigated, the truck itself was gone. All that was left was the transponder.

Police told Phillips that the man he thought he sold the truck to, identified as Robert James Durden, was not who he claimed to be. The buyer allegedly said he owned a company called 3 Brothers Trucking in Atlanta. Investigators informed Phillips that Durden was a convicted felon and that the identification presented during the transaction was false.

It wasn’t until more than a week later that Phillips was able to file an official report in Knox County. He says an officer told him incidents like this happen dozens of times a day, a comment that left him stunned. For Phillips, this was no routine case. It was a £9,000 van and a major financial liability.

A growing model

What makes the situation even more troubling is that Phillips is not alone. Just days earlier, another victim, Sean Berger, described almost the same experience. The pattern is hard to ignore.

Sellers with vehicles financed through GM Financial are approached by buyers who orchestrate payment confirmations, often involving specific banks. The balance sheet appears deleted. The seller releases the vehicle. Then the funds disappear.

Whether the scam exploits procedural loopholes, verification deficiencies or internal policies remains unclear. What is clear is that several victims believe that GM Financial’s processes were central to how the fraud was carried out.

For private sellers, the story is a sobering warning. Apparently, a zero balance on a phone call may not be enough. In an age of increasingly sophisticated fraud, even seemingly safe steps can be manipulated.

Phillips says he’s speaking out so others don’t learn the hard way. He thought he had covered every base. Instead, he fights to recover either his truck or his money, while the people responsible stay one step ahead.

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