Police are seeking the public’s help in finding possible victims of recent multi-state car theft scams involving counterfeit insurance checks and forgery, among other crimes, a task force said.
At least two defendants are suspected of contacting people who were selling vehicles on Craig’s List or Auto Trader and duping them into bogus sales, according to a Metropolitan Auto Theft Task Force media release.
The suspects then turned around and sold vehicles, which they hadn’t actually paid for and didn’t own, to additional victims.
The scams were complex, police said, and more suspects may be involved.
According to police, the suspects followed a pattern: The suspects, a man and a woman, would inspect a vehicle for sale and tell the seller they were getting a check from their insurance company to cover a loss resulting from an auto accident.
Later on, the seller would receive a phone call from a person representing themselves as an insurance agent. The agent, who was bogus, asked for personal information and had questions about the vehicle for sale.
The suspects would then return with a counterfeit insurance check in the seller’s name. The seller signed the vehicle over to the suspects, who handed over the worthless check.
The suspects would then sell the vehicle, passing themselves off as the original, rightful owners, to unsuspecting additional victims.
The scams involved interstate transportation of stolen vehicles, counterfeit checks, criminal impersonation, forgery and money laundering, police said.
Police suspect an Aurora man and a woman from Oregon as suspects in the multi-state, multi-victim case.
Investigators believe other suspects are involved and there may be additional victims.
Local investigators are coordinating efforts with detectives in Missouri, Kansas, Idaho, Iowa, Nebraska, Utah, Idaho and Colorado.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Det. Bill Johnson, of the metro task force, at 303 987-4905.
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com.
