Parking Lot Scam: How It Works
Here is another parking lot scam that keeps going around these days, regardless of the city you live in. It is also known as the Dent Fix Scam. In this article, you will learn how the scam works, how to avoid it, and how to report it. Also, feel free to comment at the end article with the locations where scammers are active. How does the scam work?
Watch the video below to see in action the Parking Lot Scam:
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Dent Fix in Parking Lot Scam Video
You're on your way out of a store getting ready to put your purchases in the trunk when the guy parked next to you points out a dent in your car. He tells you this is your lucky day as he is an autobody mechanic who just got home from a day at the shop. What could cost you hundreds of dollars at the autobody shop, he will do for a mere $20. How can you go wrong? You say yes.
The “mechanic” starts working on it with some tools he has sitting in his trunk. Then, when you're not paying attention he applies a white compound over the dent, telling you it will protect the new finish from rain or other surprise weather for the next 24 hours. He collects your money and heads on his merry way, assuring you your car will look as good as new tomorrow. Parking lot scam 101.
When you do finally take off the compound the next day, you'll find the dent is still there. Many scammers will spend the whole day in the parking lot waiting for victims before moving to a new lot.
Parking Lot Mechanic Scam: How to Avoid
Never believe anybody who tries to do business in a parking lot. It may seem horribly convenient and that's why the scam works. Don't fall for it.
Meanwhile, beware of other shady parking lot approaches such as the Leather Jacket Scam, the fake online parking ticket, or the Car Mechanic Oil Change trick.
Parking Lot Scam: How to Report
Make your family and friends aware of the Parking Lot Scam by sharing it on social media using the buttons provided. You can also officially report the scammers to the Federal Trade Commission using the link below:
Report Scammers To The FTC Here
How to protect yourself more:
If you want to be the first to find out the most notorious scams every week, feel free to subscribe to the Scam Detector newsletter here. You'll receive periodical emails and we promise not to spam. Last but not least, use the Comments section below to expose other parking lot scammers.
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dent scammers in Greenway Shopping Center in Greenbelt, Md
Central Park Ave, Westchester. Kohl’s/Petco parking lot. I got drawn in as I’d been wanting to fix the damage for awhile and the body shops quoted me over a grand for repairs. Same shit that everyone else is explaining here…wish I’d goggled it when I was in the store. Feeling like an idiot for getting burned 250$ but the bottom line is if it’s too good to be true, it usually is. Lol…know I understand why New Yorkers can be so unfriendly.
Happened to me in Dallas, 2 men with a boy at a parking lot in the mall area Dallas Pkwy. They frauded me for a few hundreds of dollars.
The worst part is not the scam itself but the local police officers’ reaction. They didn’t even pretend to help, instead, they just told me it is none of their business and I should be more careful next time. They won’t let me file a report either, so I have more trouble dealing with the insurance company without the record. I went to a police station in person and called the 911, neither of them helped. Anyone know if this is a reportable crime or not? I find the cops’ response as fishy as the scammers.
I was scammed in a parking lot, but I got their license plate number.
GHR M37
Sunshine St.
I have car fix Scammers pics
In I-95 near Boca Raton, FL there is currently a couple of scammers in a Black Honda SUV license plate last digits #6510 with Phone Number 267-339-2092 and 467-285-6293. They promise you to fix your dent/scratch for X amount and they do a terrible job, then dissappear. Their car is painted with "Dent Repair".
I am also a victim in California too. It is getting more and more this kind of scam in the parking lot. Most of them are organized by the illegal immigrants with the Spanish gangs. They are not only ruining your car, but you may also get hurt if you refuse to give them more money. Be aware!
This scam is active in the Quince Orchard Plaza, in Gaithersburg MD. I was approached yesterday by three teenagers who were trying to pull this off. They were asking 250, to which I dumbfoundedly replied, "By which, you mean two dollars and fifty cents???" Because there was absolutely no way I was going to pay some young, complete strangers in a parking lot that much for a quick, unproven fix. Here’s hoping they move along and get some honest jobs.
I just got scammed in the parking lot a few hours ago. A man stopped me while I was leaving the plaza and said he could fix the dents on my car for $150. I asked him for his business card but he said he had left it in his other car with his son. He then told me he could lower it for $125. I negotiated for $100 (thought I was getting a bargain) He then started working on my while I went to get the cash. When I came back I saw some white glue and tape all over the dents. He said it will need time to dry so the next day I could remove it and it will be ok. I didn’t buy it but I decided to give him half and told him I will give him the rest on Saturday (he kept saying he will be in the plaza on Saturday) but he refused and later on said I could add $20 and so that I would give him the remaining $20 on Saturday. We exchanged numbers and I left feeling like I had been fooled. Effectively once I got home I took a look again at what he did and saw that he got it looking worse than before! I immediately started calling and calling him in vain. Then I check online and see all these similar scams. Still can’t believe I’ve been fooled like that. People are wicked and so dishonest out there.
Incident occurred at Congressional Plaza in Rockville Pike, Maryland.
Parking lot dent repair scam… I fell for it…
Incident occurred at Ralph’s (grocery store), in Rancho Cucamonga, California (by Haven Ave and Baseline Rd), on Sept 6th 2018.
Approached by 2 gentleman in a white GMC pickup truck (possibly a Sierra 1500). The initiator, and possibly leader of the two, got my attention while I was in my car, about to drive away after having done my groceries. Very polite, calm demeanor. Repeatedly started sentences with, "Please don’t be mad, but can I ask you…" Not sure why, but I got out of the car, and actually maintained conversation with the guy that day… I usually don’t bother. Told me he would fix a minor dent in the back of my vehicle on the spot. Gave me a "free quote". Wiped down my scratches with some polish-like substance to make it look better on the spot. Said the estimate was $150, cash of course. The story he gave me was that his father just died recently, and that he and his brother (other individual) were going around doing some "mobile autoshop" work, as their grandfather – the new owner – was not really nice to them. And they had families to feed, of course, and so they were out working hard.
I admit… the prospect of such a cheap fix to a problem did help keep the scheme going – I suppose my greed got the best of me. He said he would be using "dry ice" to "pop out" the dent. He said he would be done in 7-8 minutes, as he knew I was in a rush to go… by the time I got cash from my bank, he would be done, basically. The other gentleman, who I will call the follower, did come out of the pickup truck when he observed I was falling for the bait. The follower was also polite and friendly, but a little bit more hesitant in speech, and slightly more shifty looking (now that I think about it).
I went to the bank. Came back. The leader walked out to greet me, likely to buy time for the follower to put away his "tools". When I arrived at my car, I found a pinkish putty like substance covering the dent. This was supposed to be material that would help fix the dent. When I asked to see the dry ice, the leader told me he couldn’t take it out to show me, as he didn’t really have a license to carry it – and his grandfather (the one he said was mean to him) was nice enough to loan him the dry ice, but only a small amount; and so, all in all, it was best he didn’t take it out. I listened to this inconsistent and implausible story, looked at the Playdoh like substance sticking to the back of my car, and I still continued falling for it. I still don’t why. Perhaps the 2 hour drive home, and the long work schedule got to me. Before I handed them the $150, the follower tried to upsell me on a whole car workover, for some sun damage-resistant polish, I believe. But I was much too tired, and in too much of a rush to fall for more; so I said No Thanks, gave them my hard-earned $150 cash, and left with some pink silly putty sticking onto the back of my car.
Almost immediately afterwards, as I was driving off to the Ralph’s gas station, and definitely as I was pumping gas, I knew I had just been scammed. Why my brain had such a delay in realization, I’m not sure. I looked up "dent removal"… "parking lot"… and sure enough, there was a scam out there… I immediately wiped off the silly putty, in case it would do more damage than good at a nearby parking spot after I had finished pumping gas. To my surprise, I saw the 2 scammers still there, waiting near the Ralph’s gas station, possibly scouting their next victim. We made brief eye contact as I was driving off, and they must have seen that I had wiped off the silly putty, because they drove off soon after. I unfortunately didn’t get their license plate.
The 2 men I will describe as both dark-haired (dark brown), with possibly dark brown eyes as well. If I had to guess ethnicity, I would say Hispanic, but it would really be just a guess. The leader almost had an East coast-like accent, but that’s about the only thing I can comment on as to their origins. The leader was about 5’8”, and the follower was possibly a little shorter than that. The leader was on the chubbier side, and, I suppose, "friendlier" looking, whereas the follower was lean. The leader was wearing a black "C.R.E.A.M." T-shirt (lookup Wu-Tang clan). The leader gave me the name "Frank Evans", and a telephone number which I’m sure is fake (haven’t even bothered calling it). Also said he works for "A1 Autoshop".
Hope my story helps someone, somewhere.
I was scammed by a group of Spanish guys the same way in San Jose California. I drove into the Walmart parking lot and approached by a Spanish guy and woman and talked to me about fixing the dent in my car for $200. Without my approval, and start working on my car. I also noticed several cars and trucks with Spanish people sitting inside surrounded my car and a truck stopped behind my car to block the exit. I am concerned my safety and had to let them do it. When I was shopping at Walmart, I noticed the woman followed and watched me. When I just finished paying the cashier, she told me my car was finished.
When I got to my car, I feel like surrounded by a group of gangsters. I hurried up and paid them the money to avoid the trouble.
When I got home, I felt guilty that I didn’t report them immediately so that other people can avoid this kind of scam and don’t encourage them to do that. I have to report to Walmart tomorrow and hope they have a security camera to recorded the incident and protect the customers.qpb6vyrl
PAUL is in OAHU, HI now. EXACT SAME DESCRIPTION. Same black chevy truck and had cali plate on his front dash. Longs parking lot. Sat, July 22, 2017. It was in the Moilili Longs parking lot on University in Honolulu, HI.
Posted By: Austin
I just had this happen to me in Roseville CA in a safeway parking lot. Actually the same guy ted posted right here
Posted By: ted
I just got scammed by a guy named "Paul" who did this to my 2015 Genesis. Man, I am not an easy guy to fool, but he did. Then he left me a fake number on a fake card. Unbelievable. I can’t wait to find this guy.
Safeway parking lot, El Do Hills.
Black Chevy truck, shiny new looking. He is Mexican or at least darker skinned, short hair, crooked front teeth.
14th, June 2015
This happened to me on March 16th, 2016. Unfortunately nobody looks up a guy under scam detector when it happens cuz it’s pretty quick. He is very experienced with cars. Will promise you warranties, everything, but when you look up his company online, there is no such thing. There is a Hi-Tech Auto Body in Loomis that he mentions, however I phoned them directly and the man on the phone said he has no employees. I ended up losing $100 compared to the original $200 he wanted. I promised him the other half when I see that the paint job doesn’t fade and looks as good as he claims.
He wore a hat and shades, when I confronted him, saying I do not trust him, he did not leave me a receipt or anything just ran off threatening to "beat me up" if he gets "fired" for not being able to pay his "boss." Lesson learned.
Note: He has no plates, and still had the same black chevy truck. Still crooked teeth. Extremely bad acne scars. Very familiar with car work, hangs around Safeways looks like.
16th, March 2016
I can’be believe I was scammed in my own home. Nice enough guy came to my door had his two teenage kids and a 7 years old with him. He seemed sincere and nice enough. I gave him a chance I was was left with a terrible job, epoxy white crap all over the car where it was "suppose to dry over night" – I have no idea how ot get it off. He not only did that but he took the inner lining of the wheel well off and bent it horribly and then 4 screws were left on the drive – $400 he took all guaranteed. I even call him on the cell phone he gave me to come back and fix the inner wheel – he said he would turn right around – I removed the masking tape, he said to leave on for 24 hours, and discovered he sliced the bumper and it didn’t meet the finder – but he covered it with tape, epoxy shit and green turtle wax. Again, I was seriously scammed. I did take photos of him and his kids working on my car and his truck (but didn’t grab license) parted on my street with his 7 year sold son inside. He texted me when I told him I was calling the police..he said.."Make sure to contanct Channel 5" – whatever that meant. "I feel pretty stupid" I hope his kids don’t grow up to be like their DAD. Criminals in the making and no fault of theirs.
A guy walked to me after I parked my car at the parking lot. He said he can fix my dent in 20 minutes with $200. After checking his ID and his tools, I said yes. After 10 minutes, he said he was done and immediately put some white cream over the dent area, saying it will help cool down the area from heat. I can see it’s still very bumpy, so I refused to pay him $200. In the end, I paid him $140(I was alone so I finally paid him). The worst part is after he left, I saw a huge sketchy hole on the side of my car. I was so pissed off, called him but didn’t get response.
I have a photo of his ID, his name is Andrew Erick, License plate: D5966392 (Not sure if it’s a real ID)
His phone number: 6266765998, I called him like 20 times, he didn’t pick up.
I was approached at New Phillip 66 Station on 1960 and Veteran Memorial in Houston, TX. Two guy’s stated they have a body shop and can fix my dent for 90 dollars with a compound. I knew that a car can not be fixed with a compound, so I said yes but we needed to go across the street to the Walgreen’s so they said yes but I took pictures of them and the license plate and kept driving. I plan to turn this in to the police so they can be caught.
NJ ad NY Craigslist scam mobile AUTO BODY. There is a guy that advertises constantly on CL and his work is horrific. He will tell you when the paint dries it will look great. He goes by different names/numbers/emails. The police have him in their system already. He is a total RIPOFF. Won’t refund you. There are many complaints about him.
Two weeks ago a man knocked on our front door (in Irvine, CA) and said he was in the area fixing dents and noticed our cars had dents on the bumpers. He offered to fix both for $600….when I asked for his card, he dug up an old "Dent Masters" card (that later on turned out to be phony….I should have known when I saw collision misspelled)…so we let him do it. Before getting started he asked to use our restroom and when he came out, said he had a backache and did we have any VICODIN??!! Another red flag. Said he had to go get the paint to match the cars….gone all of 20 minutes…another phony sign… After the "job" (he had his girlfriend stay in the blue truck with the engine running the whole time)he gave us a phony receipt misspelling "flate rate"….my husband paid him, but I wouldn’t because he said we couldnt remove the yellow gook he put on the dents to "cure the paint" for two days. I said I wouldn’t pay till I could see if the job was done. He took my husband’s check and walked away mad. My husband stopped payment on the check the next day. After we tried to rub the gook off, we saw the paint had been ruined on both cars! How foolish we both feel for having been taken in by this moron of a scammer….Be warned!
Approached by man at Whole Foods parking lot in Santa Cruz CA. He asked me to get out of car to get my scratches fixed. My windows were up and car door locked. I took a photo of him with my iPhone and he tore out of the parking lot. That was a week ago. Today I saw him again and I got his license plate number. Called Santa Cruz CA police department. The scammer has a strawberry tattoo on his neck.
Took a photo of scammer
Had this guy come to my door at home here in the SE part of Vegas. He said he had talked to my daughter awhile back. He sure never talked to me. Watched him for a little bit. He seemed to know what he was doing. He popped out the dent and fixed it. He put bondo on and sanded it. I went in the house for about 15 minutes. He said he was done and had put paint on it. He put some compound over the fix to keep dust off he said. I finally rubbed the compound off this morning and there is no way this lying scumbag even painted the area.
Little did he know that my wife snapped a picture of him on her iphone when I was outside talking to him. The guy drives a grey metallic Jeep Patriot about 5’9-5’10 and large stomach. Short hair and balding. Said he lived in Boulder City but the phone shows up in Las Vegas not far from my house. Of course I don’t know if Sonny is his real name and if the cell number he gave me is actually his. Of course there were no business cards. His picture is going up, with the info I have, all over my neighborhood today.
I lost $700 yesterday in New York City on 13th Street and 6th Avenue. A guy with a cane who is dark complexion allegedly had his two sons with him to said they could repaid the dents in my car. They put some red coating on the rear bumper and said to let it dry overnight. I could not inspect the work because they left the red coating on the rear bumper. I have their cell phone number. 1-201-887-5640. Can someone provide help on how I can track them down and get assistance from the police.
This has happened to my wife twice in the past week–once in Jersey City, NJ and once in Glen Cove, NY
Thank you for saving me from the same fate! Just got approached the same way- in a parking lot. Came home to google it, and thank God I did! Thanks to all of you for saving me! I’m in Evanston Illinois.
I was scammed out of $140 yesterday with the same dent repair con at the stop and shop at warwick ave. the sick part is that it was a family affair. "David miller" had his 2 young sons help rub the compound on my car. I Have his phone number and plan on tracing it tomorrow. He had a small facial tattoo. Portoguese Larger man with thinning dark hair. He had his own tools and said he worked at an autobody shop on Pontiac. I called today and talked to his wife/girlfriend. She said he stood by his work and would call me back. She told me he worked at a shop called "tip top" in mass that I googled but could not find. This con is a well oiled machine and the fact that his kids were a part of it makes me so sick. They drove a large 4 door black sedan. Terribly painted with mostly matte paint. The worst part is this that this makes it so hard to trust people. I’m thinking about contacting the news. Maybe they can do an investigative report on this guy.
To the Providence couple below: (I know Providence RI VERY well having been
going up there for all sorts of reasons since the early 1980s. The East side and
downtown used to be terrible years ago, better now, but still it pays to keep your
wits about you) Anyway, I’m sorry you got victimized even the first time. Whatever you do,
NEVER ever let anybody offer anything like this in the future, they often count on you
being intimidated in various ways. Also, NEVER let anybody you don’t know like this
esp. a scammer follow you to your home. Ever. Next time get name, plate #s, and phone #
if somehow possible, and call police, or just call then ASAP. first, don’t even mess around.
In other road attractions, some local moron actually beeped at my from behind me in a huge
black SUV or jeep as I was making a full stop at a stop sign!!! I was already prepared for a
total throwdown. He just looked like an impatient, angry old jerk. If it’s not scam artists, it’s
road rage idiots and worse these days. It also may be time to invest in front-rear dash cam.
which I’ve never considered buying before, but will soon, probably. Anybody that would beep
at you for making a (quick) full stop at a stop sign, with or without pedestrians in road,
is a moron or worse.
This happened to me and my husband in a parking lot in the East Side of Providence, Rhode Island. As my husband was getting out of the car (which had been keyed by a drunk college kid a couple of months earlier and had a few other very small dents and scratches), a man in a red/maroon minivan with RI plates pulled up behind our car and started talking to him. After a couple of minutes, my husband got back in the car and told me this guy, who said he was named Dave, had offered to fix the scratches and dents on the spot for $360. My husband was suspicious, and my BS detector went off immediately. Within the maybe 30 seconds that my husband had been back inside the car, the scammer had parked his minivan and started "working" on our car—my husband had not said "yes" to getting this work done, but the guy had clearly done his before and knew that if he got started it would be impossible for us to stop him. We attempted to tell the scammer to stop, and he did for a minute, but as soon as my husband stepped away to run the errand we were there for in the first place, the scammer came right back. I was in the car, but this guy was big and I was afraid to confront him myself, so I didn’t attempt to tell him off. He applied some kind of white paint to the sides of the car (quite a bit, even on small scratches we’d never noticed, and a huge streak along the side of the car where it had been keyed). My husband had made the error of telling the guy he didn’t have cash and would need to write a check IF we decided to hire him to do the work (again, neither of us ever agreed to have this work done). The guy (whose wife and child were in the minivan with him) followed us the few blocks home and got very aggressive and anxious, insisting we hurry to pay (there was some debate between him and his wife as to whether the check should be made out to her or to cash. Her last name was supposedly Costello.)—I think he had overheard me whispering that we ought to call the police. At this point this criminal creep knew where we lived, and he was getting annoyed at our obvious skepticism, so out of fear we gave him the money (basically just to get rid of him, at that point). Anyway, unfortunately this is a situation where the scammer succeeded. A few weeks later, another scammer at another local grocery parking lot tried the exact same thing, claiming he could get the paint off for $250 on the spot. This is an easy, common scam!
Thwarted (by a bit of terror on my part!) scratch auto body scam–9/16: Glen Oaks Shopping Center, Glen Oaks, N.Y. Queens
They tried this on me today (Glen Oaks Shopping Center, Glen Oaks, Queens N.Y.
at Union Turnpike and Little Neck Parkway)–and I Neutralized them. I was wise to it, first of all, since
some moron on his own, in a white cruddy SUV van, tried this on me four years ago
on L.I. on border of Queens, in a mall parking lot (HMart near Great Neck Road.)
of course, and I told him to get lost, but he go stupid and was angry and returned a few
minutes later (a very stupid mistake on his part), and so, I got the license # and reported to the police, but they never called me later to tell me if they nabbed him. Now, 9-6-2016, I was sitting in my car in Glen Oaks, Queens shopping plaza pkg. lot, and two swarthy Indian, Pakistani or perhaps Arabic-looking guys in their mid 20s at most, I believe, in a light powder-blue SUV pull up to my car and I roll down the window, here we go again, wouldn’t you know, the same "you have some scratches on your car (they weren’t even scratches but dirt streaks! haha) we can give you an estimate, right now," etc. the same scam as four years ago. Different morons. I told them TO F. OFF and get lost!!! haha, but, they persisted and I was ready this time. I told them I’d call the cops immediately, and they didn’t drive right off, so I buckled up, got the license # again, and SCARED THE HELL OUT OF THEM AND CHASED THEM AROUND THE EDGE OF THE PARKING LOT
AND THEN it seemed to scare them away from the immediate area, as far as I could tell, and they didn’t
return to the best of my knowledge. I was happy that I at least, scared the heck out of these wankers.
Seems if you act a bit like Dr. Lecter, you can scare these jerks off, but don’t try this at home, I suppose.
I told the security guard (roving) and he told me he’d look out for them, but it’s hard nabbing these
bottom feeders. There’s also regular marked police van patrols in this particular shopping center lot,
but it seems they cannot catch these guys since it’s a low-level scam unless they pull something
violent or truly outrageous. You would think they’d be afraid of a lot patrolled by marked cop vans,
but I guess not. Do NOT EVER fall for these scams, if anybody ever approaches you for any
service in a parking lot, or anywhere, in your car or otherwise, get their license # and info.
if possible and just call the cops. Anybody in the Queens L.I. NY area, also be warned: I’ve been
told directly by the locals and cops and even spoke with the local chief who sometimes shows up
here warning people and seniors of scams and crime, that this nabe and shopping center is
rife with crime, scams, and senior-targeted scams in particular, including occasional holdups
at the cellular store and other stores here. Anybody in this area or that visits frequently,
be VERY aware of your surroundings and what’s going on there.
I would have find this site yesterday. I was stopped by an unknown person and he said he will fix my dent and scratches, asked me for $280. I asked him for his business card but he skip it and said he will fix it right now. He also said he has body shop, I asked him the address, he just gave me some random one. Finally I said just take off that dent and scratches on one side, he asked me $100, I said I will give me $50. He agreed and did but scratches are still there and he put 2 more dents with his hammer. This was happened yesterday at HEB parking lot (5895 san felipe street, Houston, TX).
This happened to me yesterday in Bristol
farms parking lot . Two guys jumped out of an escalade and told me one of them ( supposedly named Valentino) works for Mercedes and can take scratches and chipped paint off cars. He said he could do it for me on the side for 200 and the dealership will charge 2200. He sounded so legit at the time. I come back and there’s nothing but wax covering up the chipped paint on my car. I still
Paid him the 200 bucks
It’s always a scam when someone asks you to fix ANYTHING with your car in a parking lot or any public place. Just be firm and say no and that you have no money. Caveat emptor
Just happened to us in Lincoln Park in Chicago. Short Hispanic guy named Mikey Lumas driving a early 2000s Ford Explorer with his wife. His number is (314) 688-1267 Pulled up beside us at a stoplight and said he could fix our two dents and scratches right away for $250. Said he wouldn’t take any money until we were happy thankfully. He did the "go push in the brake while I get the dent out" trick to keep me from seeing what he was doing. He then put what looks like Turtle Wax on the damaged area and said not to wash it off for a day or two. We went to an ATM to get money and I started feeling weird about it. Also, he had upped his price to $500 since he’d done another small dent on the other side.
I came out with $100, telling him I would get him the rest after I had washed off the "compound" and could verify the quality of his work. He didn’t like that at all and we argued back and forth for about 5 minutes before he just got in his car and drove off.
If I could do it over again, I would have Googled first. Or at least called the police once I started feeling uneasy.
Not looking forward to washing the wax off and seeing if he made things worse or not.
Was scammed today at Mitsuwa market in edgewater, nj. Saw him later at trolling around the Trader Joes. Guy had a silver Benz with Texas plates. I have a nagging dent, not major enough to get repaired, not small enough to ignore. Guy said he worked for a local body repair shop but had the tools in his car to fix my dent. I figured it would cost about 1k to fix legit, so the $200 seemed like my prayers were answered, as mentioned above. Also thought I was helping this nice guy earn some cash on the side. Towards the end of the work, when you are not looking, he magic ‘compound’ goes on, in my case it was a ‘paint softener’ that needs 2hrs to complete its process, tighten up, and look like new. Great story! I got home and rubbed it off as instructed. The dent was still there, popped out a little more, but with new marks from his tools, worse in a way, as the surface is no longer smooth, and has a bunch of ‘pimples’ now. Too bad I didn’t know about this scam before. Unfortunately we all come to a site like this afte the fact…
Was scammed today in edge water, nj at Mitsuwa market. Saw him later at the Trader Joe’s trolling around. Had a nagging dent to my front left side, not major enough to get me to go to a body shop, but not small enough for me to ignore. Figured it was going to cost 1k to repair legit, so the $200 seemed, as mentioned above, like my prayers were answered. Guy had a silver Benz with Texas plates. Said he worked for a local body shop, but had the tools in his car to fix my dent. Seemed like a nice guy and thought I was helping him make some spare cash and taking care of that nagging dent. Towards the end of the work, the magic ‘compound’ goes on when you’re not looking, in my case, he said it was a paint softener that needed 2 hrs to go through its process and tighten back up. I think it was actually a cleaner/wax of sorts. Good story. After I got home, I removed the compond and the dent was still there, popped out a little more, but wth a bunch of new marks from the tools he used, in a way, worse with little ‘pimples’ in the surface.
Wish I had known this was a common scam. Unfortunately, we all come to a site like this after the fact.
Scammed today at Central Market parking lot in Houston on Westheimer and Weslayan. Paid the guy (James, Hispanic, ~35 years old) $180. Red pickup, Nevada plates. Caught it in time to save my car from damage. If you do see these guys, who should be in Houston for the next few days/weeks, do the following:
1.) Get him to call you, so that you are aware of when the job is done (his cell number is 281 738 8401)
2.) Call the police as you "get the cash to pay him"
I got scammed yesterday in the Kroger Parking lot in Houston at the corner of West Rd. and Hwy 6. I paid him $70 though the work he did deserved $10 or a kick on the pants. They were two Mexican guys and Mexican girl, all around 25. I am advised by my Guru not to tlak about having been cheated, but I am writing this to warn others.
I posted just a bit ago and forgot to mention a key detail that will help tip you off right away. If the guy says he knows you from the dealership I am guessing you have a dealer plate holder on your car. The guys were very nice and obviously very experienced at running scams. As the saying goes, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Sucks but it’s true 🙁
This sort of happened to me today in Chicago – West Loop area. 2 guys pulled u pnext to me when I was parked and the guy acted like he knew me so I rolled down my window and he said "hey it’s me, Joe, from the Fletcher Jones dealership – remember me??". Not wanting to be rude I pretended to know him and then he asked about some small scratches and a dent on my door. I said they were fine and I didn’t plan to get them fixed. He said I had to see this and that he could fix them all right here, right now! I was like, hmmmmm. Sounds a little fishy. He then "demonstrated" by spraying some clear liquid from a squirt bottle on a scratch and then rubbed it out with a cloth and I swear the scratch disappeared so I’m like, maybe this is legit? Maybe he is just trying to make a little side money? Then he said he would fix the dent now – he asked me to go step on the brake so the car didn’t move when he was pulling the dent out – even though it was in park. That’s when my BS detector went off. I get out of the car and now there is what looks like shaving cream covering the dent and he says it has to sit for 8 hours for it to fully cure, or some BS. Now my BS detector is going crazy – then he says "how about a little something for the effort?" I say how much. He says, get this, $800!!! I almost fell over and was thinking he was going to pull out a gun next and just take my car. I tell no way and I would maybe give him $100 if I can see that the dent is fixed. They tell me they can’t touch the foam product because it is still working and you can’t touch it. Then I was 99% sure this was a scam. I told them I am not paying them until l see that the dent is fixed. They said leave it on for 8 hours and call them and we can meet tomorrow to get the money. I get home and google "dentless repair scam" and see this article and now it is 1000% a scam. Be careful out there!
As much as I hate to admit this I am yet another victim of this scam. Took place in the parking lot at the San Bruno Towne Center Shopping Center – 1212 El Camino Real, San Bruno, California. "Ted" pulled up next to me in the parking lot and asked me to roll down my window. After telling me he just touched up the exact same car as mine he already had the paint for my car with him. He was nice about it and for a price of $250 it seemed fair enough. Although he claimed the paint would be about a 97% match it’s more like a 60%. None of the scratches are gone but now it just looks like my car has been vandalized by someone with a can of spray paint. To keep me distracted he mentioned he needed some water so of course I went and got it for him while he did the "work". I feel so stupid. I even tipped this man an extra $10 for doing the service.
His "business card" reads…
MOBILE DENT REPAIR – CALL TED FOR FREE ESTIMATES
We beat anyones price by 50%. (415) 886-5134
I was scammed out of over $200 last night at the Pinehurst Safeway in north Seattle by a middle Eastern looking man. Told me he could fix the dent in my door by applying a "compound" and rubbing it out after 24 hours. He identified hinself as "Doug." His car is a 90’s era Volkswagen of unknown model, license plate number AKE-8845. I feel like such a fool for falling for such a con at my age. A reminder to this old fool not to trust anyone who pops out of the blue.
This is why you should have a concealed carry permit. If you tell them no you’re not interested and please leave me alone and they still don’t get it, a Smith & Wesson will change their mind . It is better to have a gun and not need it, than to need a gun and not have one.
This happened to me today in a grocery store parking lot (Pavilions) in Hollywood. I foolishly handed over $180 to a guy named Anthony, who began hammering away and applying compound to my car door before I could get away from him. I am extremely angry with myself now. I should have just started yelling at him or threaten to call the cops, but I was intimidated by his gangbanger appearance. (He had a tattoo that said "Mob," which I believe was on his neck.) My advice to anyone who encounters a person like this is to be extremely firm. Don’t be afraid to threaten a call to the police, even if the person looks like a thug. I’m somewhat timid and usually try to avoid confrontations at all costs, but as a result I’m now dealing with the humiliation of what happened to me plus the money that I lost (at a time where I don’t have a lot of money). It’s a shameful experience all around, but I guess everyone gets ripped off.
I have his drivers license. For the guy in the red pickup truck. He scammed me as well. Let me know if you want his license. [email protected]
Car scam in West gate mall.
Approached with this scam for the first time in a gas station parking lot. I had just purchased a car from out of state when a car full of young, foreign men pulled alongside me and offered to "fix the scratches for a very good price". (Definitely acted as if it was my lucky day.) I immediately felt uneasy and politely declined. I’m sure I was targeted as a female they thought was from out of state. Had to Google the scam to find out more. Sad that people get away with this garbage.
Fix a dent SCAM.RIVERSIDE CA,City of Banning.Food for less pkg lot.Large light cream colored" land yaht"With 2 Hispanic adult males and 3 young children in back seat approached me saying they can fix my dent for $20/35 bucks each and could do it now in pkng lot. They were fast talkers and I believe they brought the children along for Destruction as they were climbing all over inside there vehicle. I said no thank u several times before the men took note but not before my husband got back to my vehical.They had tools in there trunk they said and wanted me to look.They were very pushy. They reminded me of a couple of pipsqueaks.Lenny n Squeggy from Laverne & Shirley
This happened to me today in Framingham MA at Walmart! I was walking out of Walmart, this guy in a BMW drove up to me and asked if I wanted an estimate on my scratches! I said no, my daughter will be taking over my car, and it was only one small scratch! I told him over and over I had to leave, he got out of his car and told me 110 to remove all the scratches I said no, he wouldn’t take no for an answer and started to remove my paint near the scratches, then he mixed this compound and placed it over the scratches be made! It was bright red told me I would have to go to auto zone and buy paint! I was like no, I got in my car and tried to leave he followed me to my sons school and waited for me in the parking lot, demanded I go to the bank I told him no, and I would call the cops and file a damaging personal property. He said he wasn’t going to stop I threw 20 dollars in his face and sped off! I called the cops later at home because I was so nervous. They said they never heard any thin about this guy! I gave an awesome discription of him and they would be on the look out!
I just had this happen to me in Roseville CA in a safeway parking lot. Actually the same guy ted posted right here
Posted By: ted
I just got scammed by a guy named "Paul" who did this to my 2015 Genesis. Man, I am not an easy guy to fool, but he did. Then he left me a fake number on a fake card. Unbelievable. I can’t wait to find this guy.
Safeway parking lot, El Do Hills.
Black Chevy truck, shiny new looking. He is Mexican or at least darker skinned, short hair, crooked front teeth.
14th, June 2015
This happened to me on March 16th, 2016. Unfortunately nobody looks up a guy under scam detector when it happens cuz it’s pretty quick. He is very experienced with cars. Will promise you warranties, everything, but when you look up his company online, there is no such thing. There is a Hi-Tech Auto Body in Loomis that he mentions, however I phoned them directly and the man on the phone said he has no employees. I ended up losing $100 compared to the original $200 he wanted. I promised him the other half when I see that the paint job doesn’t fade and looks as good as he claims.
He wore a hat and shades, when I confronted him, saying I do not trust him, he did not leave me a receipt or anything just ran off threatening to "beat me up" if he gets "fired" for not being able to pay his "boss." Lesson learned.
Note: He has no plates, and still had the same black chevy truck. Still crooked teeth. Extremely bad acne scars. Very familiar with car work, hangs around Safeways looks like.
Just got scammed yesterday. By a man named "Tony". Exchanged cell phone numbers, his number is 760 412 9726. He was parked in a plaza in a Red 2011 Silverado extended cab pick up truck. Told me he can fix all my dents and scratches for $220. I bargained for $200. What a waste of money! This happened in the San Fernando Valley. His vehicle license plate is 79166A1. I’ve text him asking him how he wants to handle this because all my dents are still there. He didnt reply. I am going to proceed with finding out who he is and I plan to take him to court as soon as I get all of his info. For now, be on the look out for a Red Silverado with a sticker on the side that says Mobile Dent Repair. I feel like a fool for driving around with these compound swirls in my car which is their way of covering up that they didn’t fix anything at all! Never pay for covered up fixes. How would you know it’s been repaired if it’s covered? Whatever story they tell…it’s a huge scam!
Happened to me today in the Boca Park parking lot in Las Vegas, Nevada. I really should have known better–it was on the tip of my tongue to tell them to give me their number and I’d call them–but somehow I was paralyzed into allowing them to work on my car. I had my two children in the back seat, too, and I was not thinking rationally. They were all smiles and sob stories, and they kept on finding more places to put "stuff" on my car.
They followed me to an ATM afterwards as I hadn’t enough cash, and then I asked them for change as we had agreed on $140 and I had $150 and no change. They told me I should bless them with the $10 as they had already given me a discount on their work, but I told them to follow me to the store and then I would give them the amount we had agreed on. As I was getting my kids out of the car, they drove by and offered me $40 in exchange for my $50, saying that this would make it $130 instead. I pointed out to them that it would be $110, not $130, and they said, "Oh, yeah."
As they drove around again, a worker from the grocery store said something to them and it looked like she was telling them to scram. That’s when I REALLY knew I’d made a mistake.
They came around a third time offering $20 in exchange for my $50, and I agreed. I noticed that none of them were smiling anymore. They still were full of "God Bless You"s and "Thank you for the work," but the gut feeling got worse and worse as I drove home. I just hope they haven’t done anything to permanently damage the paint on my car. They had told me not to wash it off for the next 4 hours. It could just be toothpaste or something similar they put on it…who knows?
I just fell for this scam today! I am so mad at myself. I should have known better. I had an officer approach them to see if it was a scam, but he had no proof and could not do anything since I gave permission to work on my car. The criminals did not seem phased and stuck by their story. I did get their license tag number. And the guy gave his supposed cell phone number. He probably gave me a fake name. After I got home I discovered the scoundrels lied and messed up my fender. What can I do now to rectify this?
Tuesday, July 14 @ Target, Escondido auto park. I was about to park when a driver coming the opposite way down the isle motioned me to roll the window down. It was an old, beat up car. Not sure what make or model. The guy proceeds to tell me he could fix the dent on my front bumper for "$150..if you just have 10min". I said I didn’t have the time. I told him to give me his card and I’d hit him up (no intention to tho, I knew he was hustlin me). I had already gotten a quote n knew it was a lot more costly and time intensive than just 10min and $150.He changed his mind about giving me a card and told me to take his number instead. I wanted to park tho as we were still sitting in the middle of the isle. So I parked, got out quickly, locked my car. He parked and put a shirt on to make it look like he came from working at an auto shop.
He went on to describe what he needed to do. I stuck with my story. Didn’t have time. I took his number 442 237 0296, and asked for his name, "Joshua". Also, there was a woman and baby in the back of his car. They all looked like they hadn’t showered in days. The desperation in his face and voice added to my suspicions. I thought I had ended the conversation as he walked towards his car. But he turned around and told me they were about to go shopping and were short a few bucks. I asked how much they need and he said they wanted to get a half weeks worth of groceries. Adding in there that he gets paid on Friday. I only had $4 in my wallet and I gave it to him. He looked disappointed and said "really you can’t spare a hundred bucks?" I said "no. I really can’t". I went in the store hoping I wouldn’t come back to a more damaged vehicle. Luckily it was fine. I wasn’t surprised when I googled the number and found other stories. Just beware.. he’s hustlin. Don’t let him touch your car.
On the afternoon of 6/27/2015 I was approached by 2 guys in their 30’s for auto detailing services in the parking lot of Pet Co on Santa Monica Blvd. in West Hollywood, CA. They introduced themselves as brothers: David and Steve and had their uncle with them in the back seat. They were driving a black SUV with an 818 ph # on the side.
They said one of them worked for Calabasas Mercedes. They appeared to be Albanian? Eastern European? I ALWAYS decline, but I was weak having undergone a few surgeries and had been putting off giving my car some TLC so I caved into the temptation. They followed me to the Pavilions parking lot up the road and commenced to detail my car in the upstairs parking lot.
I started getting nervous when they asked me if I had some bottled water and a rag! Steve said he could fix a wheel well dent and they asked for more than the orig $420! They said they would call me when the car was done so I took my dogs for a walk. They called in less than an hr….less than 1/2 hr! I walked around the car and noticed they left some white stuff covering some of the work.
They said it was to protect the paint from rain, dust, etc. and that I should take the car to a car wash the next day and the white stuff would come off. I was skeptical, but they wore me down pretty good so I agreed to pay the original amount. Steve wanted to recoup the extra they had asked for and asked me to call him to "detail?" the car so he could collect more $. (I thought that’s what they just did!) The next day I took a rag and some water and had great difficulty removing the white stuff, but I was able to
remove enough from the wheel well dent to see that it was a shoddy job. It was bumpy. I called David’s cell ph #323.548.0308 and he has not responded. I notified Calabasas Mercedes, Pavilions and Pet Co. They are all on the look out for these gypsies. David was wearing a big a___ cross and touting that he was a Christian. Yeah, right.
My car was assessed by a professional auto detailer (Ken of Detail USA) with a high rating on YELP. I was informed that I would be lucky if a body shop could fix my bumpy wheel well dent "repair" and if not, I’d have to have the panel replaced costing $K’s not to mention the finish in the vicinity of the wheel well is damaged and will have to be repainted, that is, if it can be salvaged. Have similar problem w/"repair" on front bumper and, although Ken was able to remove most of the Bondo from my gas cap cover (which he did for free, BTW) new scratches were hiding underneath. My worst fear was realized: The gypsy bros did worse damage to my car than existed. How does it feel to scam a vulnerable, senior woman recuperating from multiple cancer surgeries?
Same thing happened to me at the Shell at 6125 Balboa Ave. Guy claimed he had tools from his job and would be able to do the whole job for $240 at a ‘great deal.’ By the end, he jacked up the rate to $500. I was intimidated by him and the 4 other people in his car that I paid the whole amount. His name is "Josh" claims to work in Temecula but lives in El Centro. He had his "family" with him. Phone number is 442-237-0296. Don’t trust him!
Yesterday (6/28/2015, I posted my 6/27/2015 auto detail scam experience in West Hollywood, CA. Why wasn’t it posted?
Hoping they these guys get caught and are held accountable before they sting someone else. Approached in Pet Co parking lot in West Hollywood, CA on 6/27/2015 by 2 Persian (?) brothers (David? & Steve) in their 30’s and their uncle in a black SUV w/an 818 ph # on the side offering detailing services. Always have declined in past, but my car was needing TLC and I fell for it. Said they could fix all my nicks and detail my car for $400. One of them said they worked for Calabasas Mercedes Benz. They followed me to the upper parking level of Pavillions up the road. Steve said he could fix my fender dent. They raised the price to $600. They said they would cover the repair work w/a compound to protect it from rain, etc. I was to merely wash and wipe off next day. Before I got out of the car they asked me if I had some water and a towel! They called me in less than an hour and said the car was ready. I said since I couldn’t see the repairs under the compound I would give then 1/2 now and 1/2 after the reveal. These guys used every line in the book. Christian dad w/wife and 2 kids trying to make some extra $ on the weekend. Can’t fix plastic because it will rust, etc. They followed me to Wells Fargo and I gave them $450 in good faith. When I handed them the $ they started speaking in Farsi, I believe, so I have no idea what they were saying. They wanted to follow up with me to get the rest!!! The next day I could not remove all of the compound material, but enough to tell that the fender "repair" was bumpy — actually more noticeable then the original dent. When I called, someone answered the phone and when they figured out it was me, hung up. I tried calling 2 more times and no one called me back. Like I said, I hope someone follows up with them so they are held accountable. Hoping the auto detailing community in LA recognizes who I’m talkng about and contacts the President of Calabasas Mercedes Benz and/or the WeHo Sheriff’s station. No doubt they’ve fleeced others.
Yes…got me at Clairemont Square in front of Burlington Coat Factory yesterday. 6/23/15. Opportunist….beware
I just got scammed by a guy named "Paul" who did this to my 2015 Genesis. Man, I am not an easy guy to fool, but he did. Then he left me a fake number on a fake card. Unbelievable. I can’t wait to find this guy.
Safeway parking lot, El Do Hills.
Black Chevy truck, shiny new looking. He is Mexican or at least darker skinned, short hair, crooked front teeth.
This just happened to me in valley village California at a trader joes parking lot. I didn’t fall for it , if it’s too good to be real then it probably is . how could they do body work in a parking lot, that’s insane considering its private property . They begin telling you if you would like to fix a dent or scratch you might have on your car, they then try to make you pull over and tell you they will give you a good deal. They offered to fix all the dents in my car for 250 including my broken bumper. they acted pretty fishy when I asked them to give me their card and I’ll go to their body shop and they said they didn’t have their card but they would give me their personal number . Don’t be a victim of this scam
This just happened to me a few hours ago. I was driving and this nice suburban slowed down and the driver pointed at the dented side of my car and said hey I can fix that cheap, pull over and I’ll give you my card. I figured he had a body shop business. Funny I just got an estimate for my car this morning. So I fell for it, stopped at the park where I was going and he immediately got out of his car, started rubbing some stuff on my car and kind of taking scratches off. He was beating it to fix the dents. He said if you dont like it you dont pay me. He asked for $180 I told him I would give him a check he said he didnt take checks. He was so pushy on me gong to get the money at an ATM and following me and having his wife in the car with me. Thank God for some guardian angels that told me not to trust him. I told him I would go alone and meet him back at the park. Another mistake I did was to give him my phone number. I can’t believe I still went to ATM. On my way there his wife kept calling and asking if I could meet them at 7-11. I said absolutely not, I will see you at the park and you finish the job and I only pay you if I like it or my husband will be upset. She asked worried if my husband was with me, I said yes. Got back to the park, my car was worse and they were never to be found. I can’t believe I fell for this. I don’t usually trust people…. he never gave his business card as he said he would. The number I got from him is 951 623 5861
Just happened to me on Saturday in NYC. I got approached by a guy in a beat up Mercedes (which I now realize might have been stolen) who offered to fix the dents in my fiat as well as some of the scratches. I can’t believe I fell for it. He did the work on my car while I went to a friend’s party in the park. I came back when he texted me that he was done and it was covered in white paste in a bunch of places. I could see from the corner of one of the blobs that it was totally the wrong color. He insisted the color would match once the paint gets a chance to "bake" overnight. When I wash it tomorrow, it will look good as new. I washed the car the next day and it was totally ruined. Now I’m short $500 and what was just a couple of scratches before is now a completely ruined car. I wish I could post pictures on here to give people an idea. The guy’s number was: 347-963-2733. Name John D. Vlado. Address on record 231 E 50th Street Apt 3A NY, NY 10022. Other address on file: 12650 Ne 9th Ave North Miami, FL 33161.
Just happened to me on Saturday in NYC. I got approached by a guy in a beat up Mercedes (which I now realize might have been stolen) who offered to fix the dents in my fiat as well as some of the scratches. I can’t believe I fell for it. He did the work on my car while I went to a friend’s party in the park. I came back when he texted me that he was done and it was covered in white paste in a bunch of places. I could see from the corner of one of the blobs that it was totally the wrong color. He insisted the color would match once the paint gets a chance to "bake" overnight. When I wash it tomorrow, it will look good as new. I washed the car the next day and it was totally ruined. Now I’m short $500 and what was just a couple of scratches before is now a completely ruined car. I wish I could post pictures on here to give people an idea. The guy’s number was: 347-963-2733. Name John D. Vlado. Address on record 231 E 50th Street Apt 3A NY, NY 10022. Other address on file: 12650 Ne 9th Ave North Miami, FL 33161.
I had a guy do this to me tonight and to be honest was perfectly satisfied. He wanted $60 and said I didn’t have to pay him if I wasn’t satisfied. He pulled the dents out and fixed my car door from where it was scraping. He said something about taking scratches out but I really wasn’t worried about that; I just wanted the door not to scrape and the dents to be less conspicuous. The cars got a lot of miles on it now. I didn’t want a perfect job, just an improvement, and I basically got what I paid for.
This happened to me two weeks ago in Wenatchee WA. I watched him pull the dents out. Then when he finished the bonding compound to smooth out, he sprayed white paint to better match my car, he covered a reflector on my bumper and my mud flap. I am disgusted with myself in believing this man. I have heard a sucker is born everyday but never thought that was me. I am disappointed that we can’t trust people it seems these days. But shame on me for falling for it. By the way I am out $700
The phone number John the Body Guy gave me 253-475-2535 of course is disconnected.
The story begins at Walmart near my house. I was out of the store and about to put groceries to the trunk and there was this old men offering me to fix my bumper. I just recently had a car accident and was desperate to fix my car since the guy who hit ran away and my insurance doesn’t cover because I didn’t have collision coverage.
That same old men offer me $240 to fix my car bumper and a dent near the front door. Oh yeah, there’s a woman and three little inside his van too. unfortunately I fall for it. He apply a white substance compound into my car and said the next day that compound will turn the dent into the car original color. So I believe him because he told me if I go to the body shop they will charge thousand of dollars for it. The next day I call the phone number he provided it was disconnected. At that point I know I was scam so I have to go to the body shop and the mechanics was so nice to only charge me $40 to clean up the mess on my car. I’m upset and disgusted.
NORTH MIAMI BEACH WALLMART PARKING LOT. HEAVY SET ROMANSH LOOKING GUY WITH BLOND WIFE. PRESSURED ME TRY TO EXTORT RIDICULOUS AMOUNT AND THEN FOLLOWED ME AND CRASHED INTO MY CAR WITH HIS WHITE PICKUP TRUCK.
It happened to me and they wanted $400. It was in North Miami Beach in the Wallmart Parking lot. The guy was Romansch looking but I don’t know and talked really really fast. He was heavy set and sweaty in a white pickup truck. I had originally asked him for his card since he interrupted me in the middle of a phone call in my parked car that had the windows up. It happened so fast. I told him straight away that I wasn’t prepared to spend that this moment but he said no, no no its easy let me show you what I can do just give me a tip. It’s between us I’m off work. 10 minutes the first five of which I thought he was trying to sell me a cleaning product, he was acting like he was doing a demo. I started call an opinion and as soon as I got out my phone he got sketchy. His wife, a blonde introduced herself, and there was an adolescent girl in the late 70s looking white truck. I told him I could give him $100 but he got weird and said he couldn’t accept that. I said hey you approached me and when I asked for your card you started doing work that I didn’t authorize and you put this gunk on my car and are spraying something. I have no idea what that is and what it will look like. I never agreed to anything you insisted starting in demo mode. He starts screaming at me so I say "Hey, let’s just call the police and they can take down our ID information and we can settle your claim in court. You were doing a demo and acted like it was a donation. Not a professional job for which I would drive to your shop." I got in my car as we went insane. He followed me and literally CRASHED INTO MY CAR. I have to replace the entire back bumper. I had never heard of something like this. There is a 911 call on file now of me franticly talking with the dispatcher asking her where the police station was so I can drive to it as this guy is following me literally playing bumper cars with supposedly his "kids" that he’s trying to feed that are in the car with him. If the bozo had just taken my money he still would have scammed me as I would have noticed that the color doesn’t match. I guess this one is the rebooted version. I don’t want to say my name. Fearful of reprisal.
I was scammed at the Cupertino Village parking lot and managed to track down the main scammer’s contact info (they work in pairs):
Chris Vlado
6263714092 (he has picked up and told me that I can’t do anything to get my money back, police officers can’t, and i can’t take him to court because it’ll be too expensive)
his old address was 704 Augustine Rd. San Gabriel CA 91776
His Twitter account is:
https://twitter.com/Chris_Vlado/media/grid
His brother/mother’s number: 6263713162
I also have the number for the guy who did the scam with him: 6266765998 (I am not certain that this is the guy that worked with him, but he is friend with Chris Vlado and his brother, and they have picked up this phone to say that there’s nothing I can do, similar to what chris vlado said on his own phone)
When I first contacted the Cupertino Police, it didn’t get anywhere, if I remember correctly they referred me to call another number for the sheriff instead. I don’t know who to go to now to provide this info…. any advice?
I ashamed to admit it. I thought I’d never fall for a scam and I am totally beside myself that I did.
In my case, foreigner on business trip to Houston, they put the dent in the lower rear door portion in themselves when I was in the filling station amoco (?) close to Jeferson street. Then followed me (old white large vehicle) and at a parking lot saw the dent (which they could not have seen as the car was slotted into a parking spac). Then offered to repair. I guess to pull the dent out with a vacuum device. I declined , it is a Hertz rental. No I wonder what Hertz wil; say when they see it.
I was getting gas and a nice guy came over to my car and offered to fix the several dents that I had and the bummer discoloration from the sun. His price was only $50. I was shocked but he convinced me that the shops have the overhead and he could do it right there in the parking lot. I said no, how could you do that? My car is red how is it that you have my color? He said ok, what year is your car. I said 2005 he said yeah, I have 2003 to now it’s for all red cars. I am such a fool. I was shocked when he put a hole in my car but he said don’t worry I plug that up… it all started to look a lot better as he was buffing in the red paint. I said I can’t believe it’s only $50. when I was quoted in the thousands! He said well in order for me to smooth the entire car it should really be $100. and you could just put gas in my truck. Well, I put $90. in his truck and the rest in cash…with a $15.00 tip. I started to call him and call him because the bonding stuff is drying (2nd day) He told me to wait for 3 days or longer. The longer the better the a__h___ said. Well looking at this site I see he wasn’t such a nice guy. I’m afraid to see what’s underneath all that goop.
I have been approached three times in the last month by 3 different scammers.. One guy explained his technique as "Acetone Finish". I laughed out loud! Call the police when these idiots solicit you. Cops really can’t do much and it’s a lousy misdemeanor for these space wasters..moves them on