The customized Range Rover belonging to basketball icon Shaquille O’Neal has vanished during transport. The vehicle, valued at $180,000 before modifications to accommodate the 7’1″ star, was in the care of Effortless Motors, which was in the process of a customization job expected to increase its value to around $300,000. Effortless Motors arranged to have the new car shipped from Atlanta to Louisiana to complete the work, but it never arrived at its destination after being picked up on Monday.
Upon realizing the car was AWOL, Effortless Motors contacted the transport company and learned that the custom vehicle had gone missing somewhere along the route. Insiders now suspect that thieves may have executed a “hack attack” on the moving company. It’s believed that by breaching the company’s system, the criminals gained access to crucial data about the pickup or drop-off, allowing them to intercept and divert Shaq’s distinctive jet-black car into their own hands.
In an effort to secure the vehicle’s safe return, Effortless Motors has officially announced a $10,000 reward for any information that successfully leads to its recovery. The company’s immediate action underscores the seriousness of the theft and the unique value of the missing vehicle, which was built specifically to fit the NBA analyst.
This type of high-value vehicle theft through digital means appears to be a worrying, growing problem within the transport industry. For example, local news in Miami reported on a similar incident in May where a $300,000 Rolls Royce disappeared while being shipped from South Florida to Detroit. Police investigating that case theorized that thieves successfully changed the delivery address and took receipt of the luxury car themselves, highlighting a potential pattern in these sophisticated heists.
Shaquille O’Neal is reportedly now working closely with law enforcement officials to try and retrieve his custom-built Range Rover. The former hoops hero is keen to see the return of the unique vehicle, which was designed to be his personal mode of transport.
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