3 suspects were just arrested in a South Florida luxury car theft ring — 1 of the stolen cars was a $300,000 2020 Rolls-Royce. How the scheme works and how to protect your ritzy ride

"The car is a $300,000 car, Rolls-Royce, gone," he said.

Here's what the thieves did, along with tips to help you avoid falling victim to this particular scam, which police report is a growing trend.

Car thieves target transporters to steal luxury cars

Instead of hotwiring cars on the street, the Miami Beach car thieves targeted vehicle dispatchers and transporters — companies contracted to pick up vehicles and deliver them to car shows, dealers and other destinations across the U.S.

The thieves managed to fool the dispatchers and transporters into changing the destinations to deliver luxury cars directly to them in Florida so they could drive away with it.

"They present paperwork that seems legitimate, and they go away with the vehicle,” said Miami Beach Police spokesperson Christopher Bess.

Police uncovered the scheme in January when Eldamou reported his Rolls-Royce missing. It was supposed to have been picked up in Miami Beach and delivered to an auto shop in Detroit, but never arrived.

Police traced the fake shipping arrangement to Armenian and Russian brokers and spoke to a delivery driver caught up in the scam. The innocent driver had been unknowingly rerouted and delivered luxury cars — including a Rolls-Royce, Lamborghini Urus and Audi R8 — to locations throughout Hallandale Beach.