Men scam woman into thinking they can fix truck's scratches

Surveillance video shows men rubbing what appears to be compound on vehicle

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A South Florida woman claims she was ripped off at her own home by a man claiming to work for a car dealer.

Marie Harrington, 77, said two men cased her Rio Vista neighborhood in Fort Lauderdale and spotted scratches and dents on her Chevrolet Suburban.

"Did they do the work? Are you satisfied?" Local 10 News investigative reporter Jeff Weinsier asked.

"Are you kidding? They didn't do anything," Harrington said.

Surveillance video shows the men pull into her driveway and knock on her front door. A man wearing a white shirt told her he could fix her car and claimed he worked for a dealer.

"He said, 'I guarantee you it will be like new,'" Harrington said.

After claiming he worked at a car dealership, Harrington agreed to let him fix the dents.

The men pulled materials from their trunk and got to work. Harrington said they spent a half-hour on the truck, rubbing what appeared to be nothing more than compound on a huge scratch on the hood.

"They had a can of black something that they sprayed on it," Harrington said. "I said, 'That will take care of the scratches?' He said, 'No problem.' He started putting this white compound on there and he said it will eventually blend in."

Harrington said the man then told her to wait 24 hours and then to wash off the substance. After she did that, she realized she had been taken for $560. The dents and scratches were still there, and the paint's shine was dulled in many areas.

"It's almost like sandpaper," Harrington said.

The check Harrington wrote was cashed at Everglades Bank by a man who called himself "Santino Mitchell."

Mitchell gave Harrington a phone number in case she wasn't satisfied, but when she called, the number had been disconnected.

"I'm glad my grandson was there," Harrington said. "They were so insistent on wanting cash."

Local 10 News has exposed similar scams. In many cases, the suspects use nothing more than shoe polish.

Anthony and Larry Mitchell, who are self-proclaimed gypsies, are being held in jail without bond after allegedly pulling the same scam last year on the owner of a white car.

The victim in that case said the Mitchell brothers forced her against her will to go to an ATM and withdraw cash.

They have been charged with kidnapping and are awaiting trial.

Follow Jeff Weinsier on Twitter @jweinsier

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