Beware Minnesota About This 'Slick' Scam That Involves Engine Oil

If you are in the process of selling your car yourself or are thinking about listing your car for sale online, there is a newer scam that is making the rounds and it most recently popped up near the Twin Cities, luckily the person pulling the scam didn't pull the wool over the potential victim's eyes. The scam involves oil and some know-how of newer vehicle engines.

According to the Chaska Police Department, a resident recently tried selling their vehicle online. It was during a showing of the vehicle that the scam started. The scammers asked to test drive the vehicle and came back complaining about the engine and its "issues." The scammers even went so far as to show the owner an oil spot on the driveway and covering the engine.

Luckily the person looking to sell the vehicle had it recently serviced and knew something seemed off.

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The seller didn't sell the vehicle to these individuals but took it back to his mechanic, and they discovered a sensor had been unplugged, and engine oil seemed to have been poured over the engine.

Steer clear of this potential scam:

A Chaska resident recently advertised a vehicle for sale on Facebook Marketplace. A couple people came out to look at the car after showing interest in purchasing. They took it for a test drive and upon returning offered well below the asking price, explaining that the car was not running well. They told the seller that they think the motor was shot. The "buyer" said the engine was worthless, but he had one from a similar model and could replace it.

The seller had recently had the vehicle serviced and knew it had been running well. The "buyers" pointed to a puddle of oil on the ground under the spot the vehicle had been parked and opened the hood to show oil on the engine block. The engine was not firing correctly. The seller did not take their offer.

When the seller's mechanic inspected the vehicle again, they discovered a sensor had been disconnected and found no oil leaks. Plugging the sensor back in fixed the issue, and they surmised that the "buyers" not only unplugged the sensor during the test drive, but also poured oil under the car and on the engine block in an attempt to convince the seller to give up the vehicle at a much lower price.

Sellers beware of similar attempts. Likely, this is not an isolated incident, although we have had no other reports of this occurring here in Chaska to date.

Make sure you are protecting yourself from potential scams when listing a vehicle for sale online. Some things you can do to protect yourself selling your car online from Progressive Insurance are:

If you're considering the popular method of selling your car online, be wary of potential scams. Don't advertise unnecessary personal information, and avoid buyers who want to send you money electronically or have someone else pick up the car, especially if they don't want to test drive it first.