We've heard of unruly car dealers taking customers for a ride, but this time the tables have turned, and it's not going to end well for one Rhode Island man. In a series of events that sounds better suited for an episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Deric Thompson showed interest in buying a Range Rover Sport, but his buying journey quickly went off the rails. Instead of a deposit to hold the vehicle, he sent a letter with outrageous claims to the dealer's inventory. The scam will land both parties in court early next month and could end with Thompson in deep trouble.

Thompson targeted Herb Chambers Jaguar-Land Rover in Boston, where he tried to buy a nearly $150,000 Range Rover Sport V8. His wire never made it to the dealership, but in its place, Thompson "issued" a "letter" with a copy of a fake certificate of deposit. He claimed that it was underwritten by massive debts - $3.5 quintillion of them - against the store. He also claimed to own a sizeable chunk of the dealer's inventory.

That's all very annoying for the dealership, undoubtedly, but Thompson's antics have created other problems. His claim to 27 vehicles went to the Massachusetts Secretary of State, which the dealer says can cause contract and banking issues as it attempts to use existing inventory as collateral for other loans. Pouring a little salt in the wound, Thompson offered to release the debt if Herb Chambers just gave him the SUV. We've heard of car buying scams before, but this takes the cake.

Other than a free Range Rover, it's not entirely clear what Thompson hopes to gain. Vehicle ownership should be straightforward to prove, and the dealer is in business to make money, not to hand out free luxury vehicles to anyone who can forge a letter.

It's likely Thompson ends up embarrassed, possibly in legal trouble of his own, and with a much lighter wallet after all legal proceedings are done. Herb Chambers has already expressed frustration with his nonsense, stating that it is making it hard to do business.

That said, the would-be scam artist's unlikely claims that his name is copyrighted may seem like an insurance plan for his scheme. He's seeking $1 million from the dealership to compensate him for two uses of his name in legal documents asking him to stop the harassment. He won't win, but he could buy plenty of SUVs with the money if he did, maybe the new upcoming Range Rover Sport PHEV we spied in March.