SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, Calif. – The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office is warning the public about a new auto scam that has been reported several times in the area this year.
According to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office, a group of Romanian nationals have been attempting the scam across the state and recently San Luis Obispo County residents have been targeted.
The scam involves a person reaching out as a potential buyer to people selling a vehicle online, such as Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist stated the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office in a press release Wednesday.
The interested buyer arranges to meet the seller so they can inspect and test drive the vehicle and usually show up at the meeting with two or three other people posing as friends or mechanics detailed the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office.
While one of the people distracts the seller, another person secretly pours oil on the engine so that during the test drive, the scammer can point to a smoking engine block and argue that the vehicle likely has a serious engine issue explained the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office.
Scammers then offer a very low price and hope sellers assume there is an engine issue and agree to sell the vehicle on the spot detailed the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office.
On Jan. 18, 2025, a seller in Atascadero fell for the scam and accepted an offer far below the value of the vehicle and scammers attempted the same scheme in Los Osos and Nipomo on the same day shared the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office.
On March 10, 2025, a Los Osos seller also fell victim to the scheme and accepted a very low offer for their property added the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office.
The next day, scammers attempted the same trick in Atascadero noted the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office.
If you believe you or someone you know may have been the victim of this scam, you are asked to contact the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office at 805-781-4500.
The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office offers the following tips to help prevent you or others from falling victim to the same scam:
Meet potential buyers in a public area, like a grocery store parking lot Don't go to meetings with potential buyers alone. Take a friend or family member with you Do not leave potential buyers alone with your vehicle, including on a test drive If a mechanical problem does appear during a test drive, do not feel pressured to make a deal and instead have a trusted mechanic check out your vehicle Be wary of significantly small or "lowball" offersStatewide car buying scam has been reported multiple times in San Luis Obispo County News Channel 3-12.
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