Stolen Car, Signature Forged, Fraud, Odometer Rolled Back; How Do I Just Get My Car Back?

Location: Illinois A “friend” and I traded cars after he advertised his vehicle as having 100,000 miles. He sent me a picture of the title showing 99k, but said he couldn’t bring it to the trade because it was being reissued due to a signature error. I didn’t sign over my title, telling him I’d do so once I received his.

The next day, I checked the Secretary of State website and discovered his car had actually last been registered at 199k miles. He had photoshopped the mileage on the title photo he sent me. I tried to confront him, but he ignored me. About a month later, a title with 199k written on it arrived in my mailbox—he had floated the title and it wasn’t even in his name.

I reported it to my local police. They tried to reach him to resolve it civilly, but he told them I had signed my title over (I didn’t). I obtained a duplicate title and began building a case for theft by deception, since he misrepresented the mileage, forged my signature, and used the forged signature title to try to register my car. The local PD told me it wasn’t theft because “a transaction occurred,” even though we had no bill of sale.

Later, I got a call from the Secretary of State saying he had filed a complaint because he couldn’t register the car due to my duplicate title. I submitted all my evidence and timeline to their investigator, who concluded that this was theft by deception. He told me to report the car stolen with the local police Commander handling my case—someone he also spoke with.

For the past 7 weeks, I’ve been trying to file the stolen vehicle report, but the Commander keeps avoiding me—ignoring calls, saying he’s too busy, or that he needs to talk to the Secretary of State investigator (who confirmed he’s tried to contact the Commander multiple times without success). I fear that if I go to another officer, they won’t understand the complexities of the case or have the same background knowledge.

The car is still in my name, so I’m also worried about liability if anything happens. I’m a college student with an hour commute and no resources to buy another car or hire an attorney. I saved up and paid for that car myself. To make things worse, the person who has the car—his mom is a cop and is fully aware of the situation but is ignoring it. I’ve tired to speak to a couple of civil litigation lawyers just to figure out what to do and they had no idea and told me it seemed criminal and to report the car stolen. I know it’s “just a car,” but it’s the only major thing I’ve ever owned and I want justice. What can I do?