‘Criminal syndicate’ buys 17 prestige cars using dodgy car loans at Sydney dealerships, police allege

A man is accused by police of helping to buy 17 prestige cars – worth $2 million – by allegedly preparing dodgy car loan documents used at dealerships across Sydney’s west.

Joseph Khamou is facing a string of fraud charges after police swooped on the alleged syndicate.

A man is accused by police of helping to buy up to 17 prestige cars – worth more than $2 million combined – by allegedly preparing dodgy car loan documents used at dealerships across western Sydney as part of an alleged fraud syndicate, The Daily Telegraph can reveal.

Police allege tobacco and hookah accessory store manager Joseph Khamou, 48, of Green Valley near Liverpool, directed the syndicate’s lower ranked members to secure car loans from auto finance companies by simply making fake financial documents or altering legitimate ones such as bank statements.

The members then allegedly went to car dealerships across western Sydney and bought the 17 vehicles, including a 2020 Mercedes Benz GLC 63 wagon for $190,000 from Mercedes Benz Parramatta and a 2021 BMW X6 for $136,000 from Parramatta BMW, according to a police fact sheet.

Mercedes Benz Parramatta was allegedly targeted by the syndicate. Picture:Justin Lloyd.

Such was the brazenness of the syndicate’s alleged actions, at one point a member allegedly wrote on a messaging app to Khamou: “I don’t want to do anymore cars. I think we have done enough”.

Police say they were only alerted to the alleged ruse when car loan company Angle Auto Finance came forward to claim it was the victim of fraudulent finance applications from September 2022 to July 2023 worth more than $1.5 million.

Western Toyota Finance and Mercedes Benz Finance also reported they were victims, with police alleging the syndicate had defrauded the three companies of more than $2.1 million in total.

BMW Parramatta was one alleged target of the syndicate. Picture: Google Maps

Dealerships allegedly targeted included Western Toyota Guildford, BMW Parramatta, Mercedes Benz Hornsby and Mercedes Benz Parramatta. The dealerships and car loan companies are not accused of any wrongdoing.

After beginning a probe into the allegedly dodgy car purchases, officers soon identified Khamou as an alleged senior member of the syndicate and raided his home in October 2023.

He was charged with more than 40 offences, including multiple counts of using false documents to obtain property and dishonestly obtaining property by deception.

Khamou, who was being legally represented by high-profile Sydney solicitor Ahmed Dib, managed to secure bail.

High-profile solicitor Ahmed Dib, pictured outside the Downing Centre for another appearance, secured Khamou bail after he was charged.

According to the police fact sheet, on top of being listed as a director of a tobacco and hookah accessory store in Liverpool, he was also listed as a “finance broker” of a company called S & A Finance.

There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing by any anyone else at S & A Finance

Police allege the syndicate would find a seemingly legitimate company that was at least two years old before S & A Finance would then conduct a credit check of it through credit reporting agency Equifax.

Once a company was found to have a good credit score, it is alleged a syndicate member was then added as a fake director.

The member would then allegedly request a car loan, attend a car dealership and request a vehicle in the chosen company’s name.

According to the fact sheet, police allege “that the (member) knowingly enters into a financial agreement with the various finance companies under the guidance and instruction of Khamou with the sole intention of obtaining finance and/or goods with no intention of honouring the loan repayments”.

Khamou is yet to enter a plea and remains before the courts.

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