Brooklyn Chinese Car Broker Danny Lew Accused of Scamming Customers - Turning Car Purchases into…read moreLeases and Stealing Over $400,000
As more victims come forward, it's becoming clear that this is not an isolated incident but a well-planned, systematic scam. We are determined to hold him accountable by organizing a class action lawsuit and working with a legal team to recover our losses and pursue criminal charges.
According to reports from the China Press and Sing Tao Daily, a car owner claimed they were scammed by the same Chinese broker, Danny Lew, who tricked them into leasing a car instead of buying it--resulting in a loss of over $27,000.
Danny Lew, a Chinese car broker based in Brooklyn, allegedly set up a fraudulent scheme targeting Chinese international students and local Chinese residents. He claimed to help them purchase new cars but instead fabricated fake purchase contracts and forged their signatures. Victims only discovered the fraud after paying significant amounts and receiving the vehicle, only to find out it was a leased car.
One of the victims, Ms. Zhou, sought help from the Asian American Community Empowerment (BRACE) group on the afternoon of May 5. According to her account, her husband met Danny Lew back in 2014 through a friend when Lew was still working at a dealership. They purchased cars through him in 2014 and 2018 without issues, which built trust over time.
In April 2023, Ms. Zhou decided to trade in her 2018 car for a brand-new Lexus 450e electric vehicle. She contacted Lew again, and he came to pick up her old car, estimating its value at $27,000. He also claimed the new vehicle would qualify for over $7,000 in federal tax credits.
They agreed to use the $27,000 from the trade-in as a down payment toward the new car. After deducting the tax credit, the total cost would be around $50,000.
Lew later delivered the new car to Ms. Zhou's doorstep. Throughout the entire process, she never received any contracts nor signed any documents. However, she created an online account with the Lexus financing website and made monthly payments, fully believing she had purchased the car.
In February this year, a friend from Pennsylvania called and warned her about being scammed by Danny Lew in a similar way--the car they thought they bought turned out to be leased and was repossessed. The friend urged Ms. Zhou to check her own vehicle's status.
Alarmed, Ms. Zhou contacted the car finance department and was shocked to learn her vehicle was indeed leased, with a three-year term ending in 2027. She then logged into her account and discovered the same: the car was listed as a lease, not a purchase.
Ms. Zhou admitted she had trusted Danny Lew so completely that she never closely examined the account details.
After realizing what had happened, she repeatedly contacted Lew. He initially denied everything, then claimed that a different account--one she did not have access to--was used for the purchase. Eventually, he stopped answering her calls entirely.
Ms. Zhou now hopes to share her experience publicly to warn others not to fall victim to similar scams.
Asian American Community Empowerment President Thomas Chan stated that they have received complaints from at least five individuals who say they were scammed by Danny Lew in a premeditated scheme. BRACE is helping Ms. Zhou file a police report and encouraging other victims to come forward. This will assist the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office in launching a formal investigation and bringing the perpetrator to justice.
BRACE's Director of Administration Wang Mengxin added that other victims revealed the broker goes by the name Danny Lew, though he may have a different legal name. They urge anyone who may have been scammed to contact BRACE.
Victims can call BRACE at (917) 309-5603 or (929) 999-8800.
The organization is located at 476 Bay Ridge Ave, Brooklyn, and is open Monday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
