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Scammers target auto shops

It was business as usual Tuesday for Arnie Bryson at Wedige Automotive until he received a phone call that would make most area business owners raise their eyebrows.

What seemed to be a regular service request turned out to be a pricey scam that has been used to target at least four Elkhorn automotive shops in the past week.

One business fell victim to the plot.

"The operator announced the call as a service for the hearing impaired," said Bryson, who is office manager at Wedige Automotive, 225 S. Wisconsin St. "They mentioned the customer was going on vacation when her car broke down in Chicago. She needed a transmission and would like it towed to our facility to get it done."

The supposed customer, who identified herself as Linda from Milwaukee, offered to put down a $1,000 deposit using her credit card.

She said she wanted a Chicago towing company to tow her vehicle to Wedige Automotive, but the towing company's credit card machine was broken.

The solution she offered Bryson was simple: Linda would use her credit card pay Wedige Automotive the $1,000 deposit plus $1,800, which she asked Wedige to wire to the towing company.

Sounds off? Police say it is.

Most area towing companies charge about $3 per mile, Bryson said. Even at a higher rate of $5, towing the car 90 miles between Chicago and Elkhorn should have cost only about $450.

The scam, which has been reported by media outlets nationwide, varies in amount and story details, but it normally ends with a returned credit card charge for the auto shop and several hundred dollars wired from the business to an anonymous account.

The calls are untraceable because scammers use an Internet-based telecommunications device for the deaf. Some TDD providers also offer international calling services with translation, so scammers could be calling from anywhere in the world.

Bryson was warned Wednesday by Lt. Jon Anzalone of the Elkhorn Police Department to stop communicating with Linda, which he did the same morning.

Anzalone, who also warned 10 other automotive businesses in Elkhorn, said the scammer has contacted three other shops in the area. One of them, who asked to not be identified, wired money to the company and never received a penny in return.

Anzalone said he also has notified the Walworth County Sheriff's Office and called the credit card company to report the account numbers used in the scams as fraudulent.

"There could be really two victims in this: There could be a victim who doesn't know their credit card number has been obtained and the person who would send the money," he said.

Elkhorn police officials ask business owners and residents to not wire money to anyone and to report all incidents.

"Not to be paranoid, but be vigilant," Anzalone said. "If it doesn't seem right, it might not be right."