BEVERLY HILLS—On Monday, December 28, the Beverly Hills Police Department released an advisory notice regarding a vehicle collision scam that had been reported by a Beverly Hills citizen.
According to the BHPD’s Nixle account, the victim of the scam informed police that the suspect contacted her in traffic and told her she had hit her vehicle, while pointing to a scratch and other damage to the vehicle.
“Once curbside, the suspect tells a very convincing story about her mother dying and the associated financial difficulties,” stated the BHPD.
Even though the victim told police that she believed she did not hit the suspect’s car, she ended up paying the suspect $300.00 to settle the alleged incident as opposed to getting her insurance company involved.
Canyon News spoke to BHPD Sergeant Kurt Haefs, who said that there are no specific details regarding a possible suspect(s) pursuing the scam; however, the victim did report to BHPD that the suspect was female. He also notes that the victim, who did not want to pursue the case further, described the incident as a gypsy type of scam.
The victim later figured out via social media that this scam has been occurring in parts of Los Angeles, said the BHPD.
Sergeant Haefs told Canyon News that this vehicle collision scam has specifically been reported to take place in Beverly Hills, Beverlywood and the West Los Angeles area, but it is a scam he suspects could really happen anywhere. He also says that there is a possibility the scam is being pursued by a single individual or a group of people who ask anywhere between $60.00 to $500.00.
The Beverly Hills Police Department is advising anyone confronting this type of situation to call the police department with jurisdiction in that area. Officials from the BHPD can be reached at (310) 550-4951.
