If you’ve been the victim of a crime and do your own investigation, have it remain completely online, police told NBC 7 and Telemundo 20’s Sergio Flores.
“Like a scene out of a movie” is how Amy Escandon described the way police arrested a man who she accused of selling a stolen car to her sister, Evelyn Escobar, for $23,000. The vehicle ended up being a rental with a fake DMV title.
The siblings were the ones who tracked down the suspect.
“Our victim became an online sleuth and continued to shop for vehicles for sale online,” Corona Police Sgt. Robert Montanez said.
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He identified the suspect as Sebastian Flores after they said he tried to sell a car that didn’t belong to him to undercover agents. Flores pleaded not guilty to conspiracy, auto theft and fraud charges. An NBC 7 call to Flores was not returned.
A second man was also arrested as he left the shopping center where the meeting took place. He was not charged in this case.
“Both of them had active felony warrants for their arrest for crimes associated with auto theft and fraud," Montanez said. He credited Escandon and Escobar's work to stop what he called “an elaborate vehicle fraud scheme.”
“I was like, ‘I have to figure out what his method of operation is, and when I find him, I would become the victim,’ so that’s what I did,” Escandon said with a slight smirk.
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The sisters said they simply couldn’t let it go. For weeks, they searched online for a similar posting like the one Escobar had clicked on. Then, they say they finally found him. Escobar was sure of it.
“I knew it was him. I knew it. I mean, how do you forget the voice of the man who scammed me out of all my life savings? You don’t forget the face or the voice. There was no doubt,” Escobar said.
Her sister took it from there as she made arrangements with the man to buy the vehicle he was selling online.
“I wanted to make it seem like very believable. I told him that my husband doesn’t speak English and I still needed to talk to him because he’s been asking for a car, so I made it seem like we would be an easy target,” Escandon recalled.
They set up a meeting with the man and called the detective in charge of their case. Escobar stayed at the police department. Her sister went to meet the man but soon realized a police undercover operation was underway.
“It appeared that he was trying to sell another fraudulently obtained vehicle, and they gave the command to our uniformed personnel to move in,” Montanez said.
Escandon remembered that moment.
“I see two police officers walking by. I see them asking him questions and him getting handcuffed, and then finally, when I walked out of the store, I see a helicopter fly by, so this whole time, they had eyes on us," Escandon said.
Montanez said the department certainly appreciates the sisters’ help but warns that victims shouldn’t do more than what they did in this case.
“That’s about as far as we would ever want a victim to go doing their own investigation. Have it remain completely online. Don’t ever try to link up with these people in person,” he said.
Remember, online purchases can be tricky. Make sure to be extra careful when making large purchases like an automobile.
Always meet in a public place during the daytime. Suggest meeting at a DMV or police department and see how the seller responds. If you buy a car, make sure it all checks out with the DMV before handing over any money.
Escandon and Escobar say they realize they may never recover the money. However, they say they find comfort with how they stopped the man who they believe was looking for his next victim.
Police believe it’s likely there are additional victims and encourage those who may have also lost money to the suspect to contact their local law enforcement agency.
