Vehicle repair scams being done in local parking lots, police say

AMERICAN FORK, Utah (ABC4) — American Fork police are warning the public about fraudulent vehicle repair offers taking place in parking lots around the community.

There has been an increasing number of reports about the scam in Utah County, police said. Here’s how it works.

Individuals approach drivers in public parking lots, claiming they can quickly repair minor damage, such as dents or scratches, for a small fee. Victims then report two common outcomes.

One, the repair is never completed after payment is made. Two, after the victim sends payment via Venmo, Cash App, or other mobile payment apps, the scammer claims the transaction didn`t go through, then takes the victim’s phone under the guise of checking the app, and sends more unauthorized payments to themselves.

“These scams have already cost residents hundreds of dollars,” American Fork police said.

Here are the following rules to follow in order to avoid this type of scam, provided by police:

• Do not allow unsolicited individuals to perform repairs on your vehicle in public places.
• Only trust certified auto body shops or professionals you personally know.
• Never hand over your phone to a stranger, especially after making a digital payment.
• If you’ve been a victim or have witnessed this type of activity, please contact the American Fork Police Department immediately.

“I’m just embarrassed about being scammed,” one victim, who wished to remain anonymous, said in an interview with ABC4. “I look back at it, like, man, I can’t believe I fell for that. You know?”

“I had gotten in a car accident about a year before and I had a big dent in the front of my car that I needed to get fixed, and I hadn’t gotten fixed yet.” they said. “So during traffic hour and on the freeway, this guy stopped, like pulled up next to me … So he’s honking me down and I put down my window a little confused. He’s like, ‘Hey, I see you have that dent.'”

They continued, “He spoke very professionally, like really salesy. And he said, ‘I can get that dent fixed for you right now. You know, if we just pull over to the side of the road, you know, I have all my tools with me.'”

The victim said they took the next exit and pulled off to a parking lot.

“So they start working on the car after I send the money. And they bumped out the dent, but it’s still like lumpy. Obviously, it’s not perfect,” they said. “And he goes, ‘Alright, we’re gonna put this bondo on there and contact me tomorrow and we’ll get your car fixed.’ So we get to that day. I call him again later that night.”

On the call, the scammer said they could set up a time to get the rest done the following day. Once the victim began sending photos of the damage for reference, they discovered they had been blocked. The victim then reached out from a different phone, and the messages went through.

The scammer then blocked that number, after trying to convince the victim that they had not blocked the original number. It was at that point that the victim contacted police and filed a report. They said they had sent the money via Cash App.

“I messed up. I shouldn’t have trusted him. It was unfortunate for sure.”