Police Warn Of Vehicle Buying Scam In San Rafael

SAN RAFAEL, CA – Police are warning residents about a vehicle buying scam that happened in San Rafael.

The victim of the scam, whose name was not disclosed, met with the suspect and seller of the vehicle at about 9 p.m. June 21 in the Canal area of San Rafael. The victim test drove the Nissan Frontier and negotiated the price down from $15,000 to $13,500, according to San Rafael police Lt. Dan Fink. The victim then gave the seller $13,500 in cash for the truck and the suspect gave the victim the vehicle and a signed California title.

When the victim went to the DMV to register the truck on June 24, he was told that the license plate did not match the VIN and that he could not register the vehicle, Fink said. The victim attempted to contact the seller but discovered the phone was disconnected, so he contacted police.

Police discovered that the license plate on the truck was actually from a Pontiac registered out of Stockton. After a sticker on the windshield of the truck was identified as a Texas registration sticker, police learned that the vehicle was owned by Hertz rental company and the truck was possibly rented in Texas.

The investigation is ongoing, but Fink said police believe the suspect, or someone associated with the suspect, rented the truck in Texas, put a license plate on the truck from another vehicle, fraudulently made a title for the vehicle, and then placed it for sale on Craigslist.org.

Anyone who has been victimized by this scam should contact the police. Anyone with information about the case is asked to call 415-485-3000.