CLEVELAND — For the past several months, thefts of Kia and Hyundai have been on the rise in Northeast Ohio. Now, the Better Business Bureau Serving Greater Cleveland (BBB) says there is a bigger problem: Scammers targeting the owners of these stolen cars, posing as car tracking businesses.
It happened recently to a woman Northeast Ohio whose daughter's car was stolen. Read below for her e-mail to the BBB.
"A company called Car Tracking Team contacted me through Facebook because I had posted that my daughter’s Kia Forte 2017 was stolen. The company offered to find my daughter's car within 2 hours for $126. There were (supposed) to be no other fees unless a tow was needed. I paid through Cash App. After, waiting over 2 hours, I reached out to a guy named Chris Williams. He called me and told me that I have to pay another $86 to find my car. That was not the agreement nor was I ever informed of additional fees."
Unfortunately, according to the BBB, the woman never found her daughter’s vehicle this way and never received a refund.
Further investigation found the scammers had been using other company names such as Car Tracking Team, Car-Tracking, CarTrack-tech, Car Tracking Nigeria, and Professional Auto Recovery.
According to the BBB, unless your vehicle was already equipped with a GPS tracking system, there is no easy way to track a stolen vehicle. That's something to keep in mind in case scammers tell you otherwise.
"The scammer sent the consumer a picture of a computer and said he had a system program that could track cars by GPS as long as he was provided the VIN (vehicle identification number) number, make, model, color, and last seen location," the BBB said in a news release about what scammers will say to trick you.
For more tips on how to protect yourself from car thefts or scams, read below for tips from the BBB:
- Find out if your car is at-risk of being stolen. Not all years and models of Kia and Hyundai vehicles are affected. Those models with built-in immobilizers or “push start” ignition systems are not at risk.
- Install a vehicle immobilizer, a steering wheel lock, and a GPS tracking device. Consider purchasing and installing one or more of these items to deter thefts. A GPS tracking system won’t prevent theft but will make the car’s location more easily traceable.
- Know if your car has GPS tracking and how to use it. If you have questions if your vehicle has GPS tracking, contact your vehicle’s manufacturer, car manual, or dealer. Many GPS tracking devices can also be purchased as aftermarket kits so make sure you have that company’s contact information if the car ever goes missing.
- Contact the local police immediately. If your vehicle is stolen, contact your local police department immediately and provide them with details such as the make, model, year, color, and VIN in addition to any GPS tracking information.
- Park in a locked garage or an area that has working surveillance cameras. If this isn’t an option, consider installing a high-resolution surveillance camera.
- Don’t leave valuables in a car. Don’t give would-be car thieves additional incentives to steal your vehicle. Leave valuables in a secure location or not easily visible from the outside.
Editor's Note: The following video is from a previous, unrelated report.
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