Police Warn About 'Dent Repair Scam' After Men In Van Approach Woman At Burlington Mall
BURLINGTON (CBS) - Twenty-year-old Victoria Hammond said she was confused and scared when two men in a van tried to lure her out of her car Tuesday at Burlington Mall. She said the men claimed they could fix a dent in her car's bumper. Victoria and her parents believe she could have been the victim of a potential kidnapping.
"I put my car in reverse, didn't even look, turned and went right out the parking lot," Hammond said.
"I instantly got worried, told her to get out of there and call the police," her mother Francis Hammond said.
Burlington Police say although Victoria made the right move by leaving the area, they don't think it was an attempted kidnapping-but rather what's called a 'Dent Repair Scam.'
"What the scammers will do is approach you in a parking lot, often a busy area, they'll come up to and say your car has a dent and they'll say, 'hey you know what I can repair that for you,'" Burlington Police Lt. Glen Mills said. "We think it's a 100% chance this is what that was."
Victoria and her mom still think otherwise and want more people to be cautious while getting in and out of their cars.
"I think it would fit the bill if I had a dent, but I don't," Hammond said.
"I don't know, I think it happens more frequently than people report," Francis said.
But both Victoria's family and Burlington Police agree to always be aware of your surroundings and if you see something suspicious leave the area and call police.
"If you saw something suspicious or something like this happen to you, please let us know because every one incident that we hear about, I guarantee these people have approached many other people," Mills said.
Burlington Police add if you find yourself in a similar situation, key information to report would be a license plate number and a description of the suspects.