Phony AAA employees try to dupe elderly couple in Santa Cruz
By JENNIFER SQUIRES - Sentinel Staff Writer
09/15/2008
SANTA CRUZ - Two men posing as AAA employees tried to scam an elderly couple out of almost $4,000 by telling them their car had a wobbly wheel.
Sheriff's Sgt. Fred Plageman said the Thursday afternoon incident was attempted elder abuse and credited a vigilant bank manager for scaring off the would-be thieves.
The couple, from Scotts Valley, had just finished a shopping trip to Costco in Santa Cruz and were driving out of the parking lot around 2 p.m. Thursday when a man flagged them down, according to the Sheriff's Office. He identified himself as a AAA employee, said there were mechanical problems with the couple's 1997 Toyota Camry, then shook the right rear tire and told the couple it wobbled, Plageman said.
The man then told the couple he could fix it for them but that they had to go elsewhere because he couldn't perform car repairs in the Costco parking lot. He said it would cost $3,800 up front and said that the couple could get a rebate later, according to the Sheriff's Office.
Anyone who knows anything should call the Sheriff's Office investigators at 454-3211.
Contact Jennifer Squires at 429-2449 or jsquires@santacruzsentinel.com.
Abridged
SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News - CA, USA
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