Police are investigating an auto repair scam in Boulder, after a man offering cheap and on-the-spot repairs allegedly cheated two women out of more than $600.
On two different occasions, women were approached by a man who said his name was “Clent,” and convinced them that he was out of work and trying to feed his family, according to a news release from the Boulder Police Department.
On July 16, the suspect approached a woman at her home in north Boulder, and offered to do some body work on her van. She agreed to pay the man $220.
The man said he applied a wax to the woman’s van and told her not to remove it until the next day. When the woman removed the wax, she discovered that it had done more damage to the van and called police.
The cost to repair the damage was estimated at $350.
In a second incident, the suspect approached a woman in the parking lot of the Whole Foods parking lot at 2905 Pearl St., and used the same aggressive pitch to convince the woman to pay him to repair a dent in her SUV.
The woman agreed to pay the man $350 in addition to $60 to clean and detail the SUV.
The man applied wax to the dent and used what appeared to be vegetable oil to wipe down the exterior and interior of the SUV to make it look shiny.
When she removed the wax, the woman found more than 60 new dents around the original. The cost of the damage was estimated at $1,250.
The suspect is described as having short, dark hair and a mustache. He is about 5 feet, 7 inches tall, with a stocky build and wearing a white T-shirt and khaki pants.
Police say he may be driving a small, teal truck with a sign that reads, “All Tech Auto Body, 720-422-6332.” The license plate number is 166-RTV.
Anyone with information about this case is asked to call Detective Bob Wands at 303-441-3323, or Northern Colorado Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or 1-800-444-3776.
