Careful, Central Texas: There’s a New Scam in Town and No One Is Safe

Scam artists are everywhere these days.

You worry about your credit card info, your social security number, and your bank account being hacked all the time, right?

Last month, the DMV was declaring war on fake license plates.

Now scammers in Central Texas have taken things to the next level, and you won't know that you're a victim unless someone from a car dealership reaches out to you.

What You Need to Know

KWTX is reporting that several auto dealerships in Central Texas have been hit by groups of scammers that are stealing the identities of people with good credit, and driving away with expensive cars and trucks.

Nearly $500,000 worth of vehicles have either been stolen (or theft was attempted) from Autonation Chevrolet, Waco Mitsubishi, and Greg May Honda.

Investigators said Autonation was targeted five times, Mitsubishi hit once, and Greg May Honda twice.

“It happened to a lot of different dealerships here in Waco, and I also know it happened in the Temple, Belton area also.”

-Greg May General Manager Kyle Binner

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How Does This Work?

Here's what's happening: dealers say the thieves aren’t using fake identification - they’re actually pretending to be real people with good credit.

It's not clear how they are obtaining documents that appear so authentic.

Six of the eight scams were successful, and the other two attempts were prevented when authorities got involved.

Who's Responsible?

So far, one suspect has been caught after authorities lured him to Waco to allegedly buy not one, but two vehicles from different dealerships.

Jason Robinson has been charged with identify theft and theft of a motor vehicle.

Robinson was booked into the McLennan County Jail on January 14th, but was released after posting bond.

Now police are working to find Robinson's accomplices, along with another group, and charge all of them with organized crime.

It's believed that eight to twelve people spread between two rings are involved.