Females Are Targets for Dent Repair Scammers

It happens like this: A dent repair imposter will approach you in the parking lot of one of those big discount stores and offer to fix a dent or scratch on your vehicle while you’re shopping. Bill Davis, owner of DentPro of Salinas, Santa Cruz & Monterey Peninsula, a Diamond Certified company, says when you come back to your car, it’s covered with white paste or wax. The scammer will tell you it needs to cure for about four hours, but once you remove the paste later that day (you have to pay in advance for the repair), you’ll discover cracks in the paint or realize that very little was done to the car. You can’t track down the scammer either, because his business card has no phone number or address.

Without a paper trail, you have no recourse other than to report the imposter to the authorities. Mr. Davis says he gets calls every week from women who report the same modus operandi. His advice? Warn your female friends so they know when they’re being ripped off.