Houston Police are looking for a man who's promising to fix the scuffs on strangers' cars, but leaving them with more damage than before.
One incident happened last month in an H-E-B parking lot on San Felipe at Fountain View. The victim handed over a $200 check only to find out the scammer's quick fix did much more harm than good.
"Here's another one," said Carla Burns, pointing to a spot on her car. "Here are two more right here."
She has scuffs and scrapes all over her vehicle — the costly results of that scam.
"When he drove up, he was pointing to my bumper, which had scratches on it," Burns said.
The man told her he had a special paint to match her black Lexus.
"I knew what it was going to cost to have it redone and I thought, well, if he could do it for less and right there, then I'd take it," Burns said.
Instead, he took her for $200.
"He went and wiped this stuff on and then he put something over it that covered up whatever he had done and he told me to leave it on for 24 hours," said Burns. "Of course 24 hours later, I did just as I was supposed to, uncovered it and it was worse than it had been in the first place."
Burns was skeptical enough that she got the man's license plate and phone number. She reported it to police and found out he was driving a stolen car.
"I want others to know to watch out for these kinds of people that come up to you in a parking lot and be more savvy than I was," Burns said.
Now, on top of the $200 she lost, she has received estimates of up to $2,500 dollars to fix every spot where he wiped on the serum.
"Live and learn," said Burns.
She has more wise words for the man who put a dent in her wallet: "The Golden Rule, do unto others. I mean think about that."
Managers at the San Felipe H-E-B said they have heard of the same scam happening to a couple of other customers in the parking lot.
Houston Police are hoping to catch the guy and charge him with criminal mischief. Anyone with information should call police or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-8477.
