TVI/CNN Portugal brought to light the story of Tiago Castro, a young football player who began his career at Vitória de Setúbal and had the opportunity to face renowned teams such as Benfica and FC Porto. However, his life took an unexpected turn due to a car deal that turned out to be a scam.
At the age of 23, Tiago decided to exchange his BMW for a more comfortable Mercedes, purchasing it through a dealership in Portugal. However, months later, the GNR seized the vehicle, revealing that it was involved in a legal case in France.
The car, originally purchased by a French company called Sunrise Productions using a credit from Mercedes, no longer had the installments paid before being sold in Portugal.
Despite appearing to be free of charges in the Automobile Single Document, the transaction involved potentially falsified documents. The seller, Custódio Gonçalves, assured that the car was his, but it ended up disappearing without solving the problem.
Tiago was left with a debt of R$35,000 for a car that he no longer owns and that he was never able to recover. To pay the installments, the player had to emigrate to France, where he currently plays for US Lusitanos, and still has another year of payments to go.
Both he and his father, who accompanied him on the purchase, remain perplexed by the situation, questioning how something like this was possible despite having followed legal procedures.
The case highlights the risks of scams in vehicle transactions and the difficulty of protecting buyers who act in good faith. Tiago still hasn’t gotten justice, but the episode serves as a warning about the importance of checking the history of cars in detail before purchasing them.
