VENTURA : Elderly Victimized in Hit-and-Run Ruse

Two con artists have preyed upon elderly motorists in Ventura by accusing them of hit-and-run accidents then extracting payment for repairs, police said Wednesday.

At least five women and one man, ages 70 to 90, have been approached by the couple, who usually demand a damage settlement between $200 and $400, Ventura Police Detective Jeanne Boger said.

“One wanted a whole new paint job for $5,000,” Boger said of a demand that went unmet. “He’d have a lot of volunteers to paint a car for that amount.”

The couple--a man and woman, each about 30--wait for elderly drivers to park at supermarkets, shopping malls and downtown public lots and then mark victims’ cars with a grease pencil, Boger said. After their targets return from shopping and drive away, the swindlers confront their victims on the road or at their residences and accuse them of hitting their car, pointing to red or black grease marks as scraped paint.

The con artists offer to settle on the spot, rather than summoning police and collecting through the victims’ insurance. Four of the six victims who have contacted police paid the pair, who face charges of theft by false pretense and conspiracy to defraud, Boger said.

The couple have employed the ruse within the last 10 days using two different vehicles, Boger said. The man drives a red two-door compact and the woman a black pickup.