Quick-thinking vehicle seller foils buyer's scam attempt
Police advise vehicle owners to be cautious about selling privately after a recent incident where the seller did everything right when faced with a scammer.
Police say the seller made the right move by agreeing to meet a potential buyer in a public parking lot so there would be witnesses if anything went awry. They say the buyer showed up with other individuals who claimed to be mechanics.
Police say the buyer took the vehicle for a test drive and came back saying it needed significant work. They offered the seller a reduced price, which was declined.
"Sadly, the test driver had stopped somewhere and added a foreign substance to a reservoir under the hood and sprayed something onto the engine, which caused it to smoke," Barrie police explained in a release about the incident.
The seller took the vehicle to a trusted mechanic, who police say found the substance, cleaned the reservoir, and had the car working properly again in no time.
"As for the smoke, it dissipated after the engine area was cleaned of what had been sprayed on it," police added.
Police say the message is simple, "When selling anything, no matter how big or small, you must always do it in a manner that ensures your safety is never compromised."
Police also reminded sellers that items are just property that can be replaced, so if something seems off about a buyer, such as if you are suspicious or uneasy about their behaviour, "it is ok to just change your mind and politely leave."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Prince William and Kate release photo of daughter Charlotte to mark ninth birthday
Prince William and his wife Kate released a picture of their daughter Charlotte to mark the princess's ninth birthday on Thursday.
Ontario man loses $1,500 applying for Nexus cards on social media
The trusted traveller program between Canada and the United States is extremely popular and almost two million Canadians have a Nexus card.
NEW Facial reconstruction reveals what a 40-something Neanderthal woman may have looked like
Scientists studying a Neanderthal woman's remains have painstakingly pieced together her skull from 200 bone fragments to understand what she may have looked like.
Concerns about Plexiglas prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall Plexiglas barriers.
Weight-loss drug Wegovy available in Canada starting May 6
The makers of Ozempic say their weight-loss drug Wegovy will be available to patients in Canada starting Monday.
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Goring
Archeologists have unearthed the skeletons of five people, missing their hands and feet, at a former Nazi military base in Poland.
This Canadian restaurant just lowered its prices. Here's how it did it
A Canadian restaurant lowered its prices this week, and though news of price tags dropping rather than climbing sounds unusual, the business strategy in this case is not, according to experts in the field.
NEW Companies letting customers opt out of Mother's Day ads
In an effort to balance the profitability of Mother's Day with the pain it causes some people, some brands are offering customers the choice to opt out of Mother's Day email advertising.
NEW A mother's hopes to free her son from a Syrian prison is revitalized by a new human rights report
Just days before the seventh anniversary of the day Jack Letts was thrown in prison with thousands of suspected ISIS fighters, his mother, Sally Lane, delivered a small stack of envelopes to the headquarters of Global Affairs Canada in Ottawa.