Latest news with #realty
Motor 1
3 hours ago
- Motor 1
Audi Driver Hits Woman's Car On the Highway and Flees. Now Her Realtor Friend Is Offering a Discount to Anyone Who Finds Them
A New York woman went viral on TikTok after publicly defending her friend, who she said was recently involved in a hit-and-run with an Audi driver. Kaitlyn Chen (@chenkaitlyn), who's been documenting her 'realty journey' in New York and Long Island, shared footage of what appeared to be her friend just moments after a car accident. The clip quickly took off online. The incident happened at 12:43pm ET on May 30 on the Belt Parkway before Exit 7, on the Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn. In the short video, Chen's friend begins recording right after being hit. Instead of pulling over to exchange info, the other driver appears to flee the scene. 'This dude just hit my car,' she said in the video. 'He's trying to run away.' Dashcam footage shows the car—a dark green Audi RS5 with no license plates and tinted front windows—driving off. Chen said her friend was never able to identify the driver, but she's now crowdsourcing help. 'Help my homegirl identify this car,' she wrote in the caption. 'Lots of good karma coming your way.' Chen even offered a reward: A discount on buying or selling a home through her services. But as of Thursday, no leads. The culprit is still unknown. Meanwhile, Chen's video has racked up more than 9.8 million views. Hit-and-Run Drivers Can Be Hard to Find Tracking down a hit-and-run driver isn't easy, especially when the car has no front or back plates and the dashcam footage doesn't clearly show the driver's face, like in the case of Chen's friend. Still, there are ways to strengthen your case beyond just asking TikTok for help. According to Houston-based law firm Gibson Hill Personal Injury , the first step is always to file a police report. From there, gather any available witness statements and surveillance footage, if applicable. Chen's friend was on the highway, so that wasn't an option—but those steps can still be crucial in other situations. The firm also recommends checking the scene for car debris, which could help identify the vehicle. And if you have the resources, hiring a personal injury attorney could make a real difference, as they can investigate on your behalf and help push an insurance claim forward. Even if the driver can't be identified, insurance companies will often cover injuries and damages under uninsured motorist policies. And in rare cases, someone might come forward—an eyewitness who recognizes the car or even the driver. So, it looks like Chen's friend did everything right. But given how notoriously tough these cases are to crack, it's still unclear if even a viral TikTok will be enough to track down the culprit. Viewers Think It's a Lost Cause Most commenters on Chen's video pointed out the obvious: The driver had clearly gotten away, and the chances of tracking them down seemed slim. 'He didn't try running away, he got away,' one viewer said. 'No plate, too? Y'all not finding bro,' another wrote. 'Yeah, you'll never get them,' a third commenter added. Others flagged a bigger issue: The car appeared to be wrapped—a vinyl film covering the original paint. That might look sleek, but it also makes the car harder to identify, complicating any efforts to track it down. 'I would unwrap it as soon as I got home,' one TikToker quipped. A second viewer echoed this sentiment, writing, 'Car is going back to the wrap shop tomorrow!' 'A wrapped RS5 in New York [with] no plates,' a third viewer noted. 'You 100-percent might as well just take the car to a shop because you aren't finding him and insurance is just gonna raise ya rates, so just take the loss and pay out of pocket.' On Tuesday, Chen replied to a commenter to say that the person TikTok sleuths had flagged wasn't the culprit. But she hasn't posted a broader update on whether her friend has found the driver. Motor1 has reached out to Chen via a TikTok comment. More Crashes Watch In Agony as a BMW M5 Safety Car Crashes Mustang vs. Porsche 911 GT3 Drag Race: Guess Which Car Crashes Get the best news, reviews, columns, and more delivered straight to your inbox, daily. back Sign up For more information, read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use . Share this Story Facebook X LinkedIn Flipboard Reddit WhatsApp E-Mail Got a tip for us? Email: tips@ Join the conversation ( )
CBS News
a day ago
- CBS News
Hackers take over Chicago woman's Facebook page, post item after item for sale
Imagine getting messages from people saying they're contacting you to buy something you posted for sale, on your Facebook page — except that you never posted any items for sale, and your page was hacked. That was the reality Melissa Whiteman Kingsbury of Chicago. Kingsbury said she received more than 25 calls and 30 text messages in the first hour after her page was hacked, asking if she was really selling items like low-priced cars in great condition. She was not selling any such things, or anything at all. "For me personally, I'm not a big poster of personal information," said Kingsbury. But what was passed off as personal information was appearing all over Kingsbury's Facebook page for her Chicago realty business. One post said Kingsbury was "absolutely thrilled to announce" she had become a "Certified Cryptocurrency Expert," even showing her certificate. Another post said Kingsbury was selling a four-door 2011 Honda Accord SE for $2,300. And another tragically announced her sister-in-law was seriously ill and needed to sell off a number of vehicles and even a piece of farm equipment. The problem was that Kingsbury never wrote any of those posts. Her account was hacked back in May — essentially turning her page, into a Facebook marketplace. "It almost looked like I was an auctioneer at one point, selling all kinds of personal property," Kingsbury said. Then the phone calls and text messages — more than 50 — started coming in. "The one that really scared me is: 'I'm getting ready to Zelle you $5,000. I want to make sure it's you before I send it,'" said Kingsbury. The Chicago realtor, who has more than 2,000 followers on her Facebook page, said the hacker even created a post saying her clients were now finding financial freedom through her investment strategies. Kingsbury said the family whose photo appeared in the post were not even her clients, and yet, the photo was manipulated to show the man of the family holding a sign reading, "We said yes to the address! Thank you Melissa Kingsbury for this success." "They actually edited the home ownership sign with my name on it to make it more believable, for sure," said Kingsbury. Fraud expert Professor Bill Kresse of Governors State University had a warning. "You simply cannot even trust photographs on social media anymore," he said. Kresse said it is common for scammers to target people who have garnered trust within their community and who have lots of Facebook friends. "They can then lock you out of that account, and then approach all of your friends in selling things — even giving a sob story as to why they need money," said Kresse. Kingsbury said she was able to get her personal page back. "I went through Meta. I went through Facebook," she said. "Every little place I could report a problem or give feedback to the company, I did — probably a few times a day." But regaining page access has not been the norm with CBS News Chicago's past reporting, which goes back years. Kingsbury said she is still fighting to get her business page back up and running. When she regained access to her personal page, she posted a message to her friends saying she was locked out of her account — and indeed she is not selling cars, trailers, crypto or investment advice. She warned people to be careful. Some friends responded saying the same thing happened to them. Professor Fraud said the best way to prevent a hacker from gaining access to your Facebook page, is two-factor authentication, where a code can be sent to your phone or email. Kingsbury said she had that in place. CBS News Chicago reached out to Facebook to comment on this story. Facebook said it is looking into Kingsbury's accounts, and will get back to us with a comment. We'll keep you posted.
Times
21-05-2025
- Automotive
- Times
Your own magic kingdom: Disney-themed mansion up for auction
The largest residential property in Utah is a Disney-themed mansion that was placed on the market for $34.5 million in December but has yet to find a buyer. The property — featuring an underground Star Wars tunnel and a Cars-themed raceway — is heading for auction. Kerry Oman of Summit Sotheby's International Realty said: 'This estate is truly unlike anything else in the western United States. It offers an unmatched combination of space, luxury and versatility — creating a perfect environment to live, entertain and make memories that will last a lifetime.' The ranch in Hyrum, a town about 70 miles north of Salt Lake City, has spacious rooms fit for an extended family. A formal dining room has a table that can seat
CTV News
09-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
‘Losing our competitive edge': Housing prices in Sask. continue to set new records, more homes needed: SRA
WATCH: A report from the Saskatchewan Relators' Association shows that housing prices in the province reached an all-time high last month.
