Tip of the Week - Car Repair Scam on the elderly

Tip of the Week

Vehicle Repair Scams Targeting the Elderly In the last five months, the city of Monrovia
has had four reported vehicle repair scams targeting elderly victims that occurred in the
Huntington Oaks parking lot. Arcadia has Also been getting hit with these scams.

The suspects are described as male Hispanics/middle eastern, 5’4” to 5’10,” thin
build, approximately 40-50 years old. The suspects tend to move around a lot from city
to city, committing these crimes.
There are two different variations of this scam. The first is when the victim parks their vehicle and a male subject (the scammer) either parks next to the victim or approaches the victim’s driver side front door on foot. The scammer tells the victim that something is wrong with their vehicle, and in some cases, the victim could not close their driver side front door. One victim reported seeing the scammer holding a small screwdriver, possibly what the scammer used to prevent the victim from closing their door. The suspect then claims he just happens to be an auto mechanic and he can fix the
problem.

He inspects underneath the steering column and produces something as evidence, such as a burnt fuse. The scammer then tells the victim that he has a replacement fuse. The scammer reaches back inside the vehicle and claims to have fixed the problem. Once this is done, the victim’s driver side front door is able to close.

The second scam is when the scammer watches the victim leave their vehicle and then does something to disable it. When the victim returns, the vehicle will not start. The scammer uses the same ploy as above and says he can fix it. He reaches underneath the steering column and “fixes” the problem. The scammer tells the victim that he/she needs to pay for the cost of the replacement part. In most cases, the scammer asks for a ridiculously high amount, anywhere from $400.00 to $8,000.00. Unfortunately, the victim will agree on the price or sometimes asks to lower the amount. Once a price is agreed upon, the scammer asks to get into the victim’s vehicle (sometimes drive it) and drive to the victim’s local bank or a bank kiosk. The victim pays the scammer and the scammer leaves.

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Please share this with the elderly neighbors who may not read the blog or are not internet capable in general.  This is importnat information they need to have.