(KRON) – Two Fremont men were arrested last week for their alleged involvement in a scam to trick a car owner into selling his car for less than its value.
Authorities began investigating the scam after a New Castle resident suspected that two potential buyers had put oil in their car’s engine before a test drive to make the car appear broken-in, according to the Placer County Sheriff’s Office.
“During the test drive, the vehicle suddenly began smoking, something that had never happened before,” the Placer County Sheriff’s Office said. “This popular scam tricks victims into believing their car has a catastrophic problem, with fully prepared suspects able to take the victim’s hands off for a deeply discounted price.”
The car owner asked the suspects, 19-year-old Julian Mihai and 36-year-old Decebal Mihai, to come back another day. The car’s owner then called the authorities. During the second meeting, the men were arrested by the Placer County Sheriff’s Office.
“A search of their vehicle revealed fraudulent documents and evidence of identity theft,” the sheriff’s office said. “Further investigation by the Regional Auto Theft Task Force showed that the 4Runner they drove to Newcastle had also been obtained in a similar scam in the Bay Area. The original owner was duped into selling her vehicle for less than 25% of its value.”
The Mihais were booked into South Placer Jail on charges of theft by false pretense, conspiracy, possession of false registrations and identity theft. Each of these crimes could result in felony convictions, the Sheriff’s Office said.
“If you are meeting someone to buy or sell a car or other large item, please take precautions,” the Sheriff’s Office said. “You are always welcome to use the parking lot at any of our Sheriff’s Office locations for a safe exchange.”