PLACER COUNTY, Calif. — Deputies are warning people trying to sell cars on websites like Marketplace and Craigslist to be on high alert after reports of a new scam.
Investigators say it involves multiple people interested in buying the car, then driving down the price. Officials say the scam has played out in El Dorado, Nevada, Placer and Sacramento counties.
Thankfully, one man saw the posts and was able to avoid being scammed. He now wants to share his story in hopes it doesn’t happen to anyone else.
Investigators say someone contacts the seller and arranges the meetup. The suspect arrives with at least two other suspects to look at the vehicle. Then, while one distracts you by asking you to pop the hood or rev the engine, the scam unfolds.
Austin Espinola says he came face to face with the suspects in Truckee in December.
“They start screaming, 'Woah, woah, look at this.' I stop the truck, get out and it looked like they had taken eight ounces of oil and just dumped it into the exhaust tips, on the ground... and on the other exhaust tip, it looked the same, just a puddle of oil in this parking lot,” said Espinola.
He says he was trying to sell his pickup for $12,000 on Facebook. A man reached out to him asking to look at the truck, so they met in a parking lot by the Truckee Police Department.
“Four or five guys got out of this van, which I thought was weird, and his name was different than it was on Facebook,” said Espinola.
After a test drive, the suspects asked Austin to rev the engine one more time. He says that's when they dumped oil on his car and dropped their offer by $5,000, claiming there were mechanical issues.
“I told them that I knew about this scam where people go around and pour oil on the engine,” said Espinola.
Austin says he saw the scam posted on social media. His hobby is cars and he was confident his car was not broken. He wants to share his experience with others.
Reports of the scam first popped up last summer. Sgt. Michael Cuevas with the property crimes division of the Placer County Sheriff's Office says the investigation is ongoing.
“We’ve been able to identify one group of several suspects. We are working in partnership with the surrounding counties to be able to identify these suspects,” said Cuevas.
Placer County is investigating three cases, Nevada County is investigating seven, El Dorado County six and Sacramento County only says it's aware of the scam.
While they work to track down the scammers, Sgt. Kyle Parker with the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office offers advice to people selling cars: don’t meet up with potential buyers alone, and if you drove your car to the sale without issue, there won’t suddenly be a problem.
“A lot of sheriff’s offices and police stations have parking spots designated for these type of transactions,” said Parker.
He recommends people utilize those spots or meet in public places where you know there are surveillance cameras.
If this has happened to you, you’re asked to call your local police or sheriff’s office and report it. Any new information can help track down the scammers.
