Two men were arrested for driving a vehicle stolen through a social media scam
Irvine police are warning residents about car thieves using social media to pull off their crime.
Police say two men were arrested on March 21 as they attempted to drive a stolen vehicle into Mexico, after they used Facebook Marketplace to target their victim.
Investigators say the victim responded to an ad on the platform looking to hire someone to transport cash.
The victim drove from Oxnard to Irvine for the job.
When the victim arrived for the job, one of the suspects said he needed to borrow the victim’s vehicle to pick up the cash.
The victim agreed, and that’s when the suspects took off and never came back.
California Border Patrol stopped the stolen vehicle at the San Ysidro entry point.
Irvine Police Detectives traveled to the border and took custody of Abel Cortes, 21, and Christopher Hernandez, 20. The men, who are residents of Tijuana, were booked at Orange County Jail for possessing a stolen vehicle.
Police are warning that this trend targets Spanish speaking residents.
In a press release, Irvine police said, “These cases are not unique to Irvine and have been occurring around Southern California. All the victims were residents of other cities and were lured to Irvine. Most incidents appear to be targeting the Spanish-speaking community.”
Here are some important tips from police to stay safe:
- When answering job or task advertisements, do your homework and make sure the party seeking services is legitimate
- If you are a victim of this scam, do not delay in reporting the incident to the police
- Provide the police with accurate information so they can help you. These cases can be delayed when false information is provided to the police
