THE GENUINE BUT FAKE CAR?

Once upon a time, a real estate broker successfully closed a deal and sold a property to a buyer.

Part of his service was to help the buyer transfer the title to their name. Seemed simple enough—until he submitted the documents to the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).

That’s when things got messy.

The BIR flagged the transaction as subject to Value Added Tax (VAT)—a hefty cost neither the seller nor the buyer was prepared (or willing) to shoulder.

Faced with a roadblock, the broker looked for a “creative solution.”

[Enter the fixer.]

For a “minimal fee,” this fixer promised smooth sailing. The tax payments—paid in cold, hard cash—were handed over. No VAT was paid, yet, miraculously, the title was transferred to the buyer's name.

Case closed?

Not quite.

Fast forward a few years.

The buyer decided to sell the property. During the process, the BIR asked for the Certificate Authorizing Registration (CAR)—a vital document proving that the taxes for the earlier sale had been paid.

The buyer handed it over, confident everything was in order.

But the BIR couldn’t find the CAR in their system.

It didn’t exist.

The CAR was fake.

End of story.

So what likely happened?

Back in the day, it was whispered in real estate circles that some individuals had gotten their hands on genuine blank CAR forms—the real thing, straight from the BIR. These were filled in with bogus details, stamped, signed, and slipped into the system.

And how did the title get transferred? Most likely with a little help from someone on the inside—someone who was part of the game.

It all looked legitimate—until someone looked closer.

The moral of the story?

Never trust a shortcut, especially one offered by a fixer.

It might save you money today, but it can cost you everything tomorrow.

The only thing worse than unpaid taxes is a paper trail that leads straight back to you.