The Mobile Police Department is urging used car dealerships to be aware of a rash of recent car thefts.
Sgt. Katrina Frazier said the department has recently received four reports of people taking cars for a test drive and not returning.
“People have gone to used car dealerships to test drive a vehicle but they never return,” Frazier said. “They’re using false IDs or tricking the salesperson into letting them test drive the vehicle by themselves.”
There has been one arrest, but the other three vehicle thefts are still under investigation. Police did not say which dealerships were targeted.
Police say dealerships should be aware of and verify the identification of potential buyers before allowing them to test drive. She said it is also best to have someone ride in the vehicle with potential buyers on all test drives.
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