Sheriff warns against car-buying scam

The Placer County Sheriff's Office issued a reminder Monday for the community to guard against a car-buying scam occurring in Placer and nearby counties. The scam involves buyers (suspects) contacting the sellers via a classified advertisement website, like Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist, to arrange to meet at a desired location to inspect the vehicle for sale. The Sheriff's Office confirmed suspects have met in the Raley's parking lot on Lincoln Way and at a victim's residence in Auburn recently. According to the Sheriff's Office, the suspect arrives with at least two other individuals and asks the victim to pop the hood so one individual can check the engine compartment while the others ask to look in the truck or distract the victim in some manner. The suspect then pours oil into the radiator and on top of the engine manifold, while the others pour oil near the rear of the vehicle at some point. The suspect will test drive the vehicle, and the warming oil on the manifold will cause the engine to smoke. The Sheriff's Office reported when the hood is opened, the suspect will open the radiator cap to show there is oil in the radiator, advise the victim the engine is "blown," and offer an extremely low-ball offer to "take the vehicle off their hands." The Sheriff's Office confirmed these cases have occurred in Placer, Sacramento, Nevada and El Dorado counties. Placer detectives are working with other counties to identify the suspects. The Sheriff's Office is encouraging anyone who has experienced a situation like this to call 530-889-7800. "Also be vigilant whenever you are in the process of selling a vehicle, and if something seems suspicious, don't feel pressured into doing something that doesn't seem right," the Sheriff's Office said on Facebook.