Police warn of used car scam as single mother reacts to theft
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Metro police investigators are warning the public about a social media scam involving used cars.
Police say the online sellers, who often use Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist, deliver the cars and cash payments. However, they then double back to the buyers to steal the car, keeping the money in the process.
Overland Park single mom Daynara Saucedo bought a used car on Facebook Marketplace last Thursday. She said she drove it to her family's home near 87th and Conser when trouble showed up later in the evening.
'It happened so fast, you couldn't react,' Saucedo said.
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Saucedo paid $2,700 for the 2012 used Kia sedan. The same night, the seller tracked her to that address and stole the car. Saucedo told Overland Park Police the alleged criminal kept the money, too. Saucedo also says she believes they used an Airtag placed inside the car to find her.
'I got the car for a reason because I really needed this vehicle. So not only did you take my transportation from me, but you took money as well, and you took my kids' car seats,' Saucedo said.
'It was a cowardly move, in my opinion, especially during tax season. A lot of these single moms are getting their income taxes back. They're trying to get a good deal,' Catlin Leonard, Saucedo's stepfather, said.
OP Police report this scam is becoming more common. Overland Park Police Ofc. John Lacy said online buyers and sellers are welcome to do business in the Internet Exchange Space just outside police headquarters on Foster Street. Cameras look on from above, and you don't have to be an OP resident to use it.
Lacy recommends not trusting online strangers who want to avoid the police department or doing business in suspicious or out-of-the-way locations.
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'If they're planning on doing any type of crime, or any type of scam, they're probably not going to come,' Ofc. Lacy said on Friday.
'That's a major red flag.'The car wasn't the only thing Saucedo lost, since two car seats for her kids were in the back and she learned about that from the next person who bought the car. If you know who might be behind these car thefts, please contact the Overland Park Police Department.
Saucedo's loved ones have started a GoFundMe to help recover the money she lost in this theft.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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