Missouri Highway Patrol seeks KC couple in alleged online auto sale scam

A Kansas City area couple suspected of defrauding nearly 50 people in Craigslist auto sales were sought Thursday by the Missouri Highway Patrol.

Authorities say the scam typically began when the couple purchased a vehicle from Craigslist. Investigators think someone then lowered the vehicle’s mileage by rolling back the odomoter and the couple sold the vehicle again with an online ad, posing as the previous owners.

Along with the Highway Patrol, the Missouri Department of Revenue’s Compliance and Investigation Bureau and the National Insurance Crime Bureau investigated 48 suspect auto deals in the past year involving the couple. Some of the auto deals may not have involved tampering with the odometer.

Investigators wanted to discuss the transactions with people who sold vehicles to, or bought them from, the suspect couple. Authorities said these other parties were probably innocent.

The couple allegedly did not use their names during transactions and typically used disposable cellphones. The man is described as 5 feet 9 with a medium build and an “East Coast” accent. The woman usually remained in the family’s green Nissan Quest minivan with their children during the deals.

The Highway Patrol distributed photos of a man and woman suspected in the case.

Anyone who purchased a vehicle from them is asked to call the patrol’s Cpl. Nate Bradley at 816-622-0800.

This story was originally published November 5, 2015 at 4:49 PM with the headline "Missouri Highway Patrol seeks KC couple in alleged online auto sale scam."