A Korean American family visiting Las Vegas had their rental car stolen after being deceived by a scammer posing as a rental car employee during the return process.
Ms. Kim, who lives in Fairfax, Virginia, said the incident occurred on December 24th at the Las Vegas rental car center near Harry Reid International Airport. She said she and her family were returning a Hyundai Tucson after a three-night, four-day trip with her husband and their high school–aged son. The rental car center, located about four miles from the airport at 7040 Gilespie St., is a large complex housing major companies including Alamo, Hertz, Enterprise, Sixt, and Budget.
According to Ms. Kim, at around 7:10 p.m., a white man wearing a staff vest and holding an iPad approached them at the entrance. He said that because it was Christmas Eve, the center was extremely crowded, and offered to process the vehicle return if they left the car and keys with him.
She said the parking area was already full and many customers were present, making his explanation seem believable.
The family handed over the vehicle and keys and headed toward the airport. Just before boarding the airport shuttle, Ms. Kim’s husband returned to the Alamo office to obtain a return receipt, only to be told there was no record of the vehicle being returned. At that point, the family realized the man who had approached them was impersonating a rental car employee and had stolen the vehicle.
“He was dressed like staff and acted so naturally that we never suspected he wasn’t an employee,” Ms. Kim said. “Anyone in our situation could have been fooled.”
Alamo told the family they were the second victims that day and said similar incidents using the same method had occurred previously. The company also said that about two months earlier, multiple thefts involving impostors posing as rental car staff had been reported.
The family reported the incident to their insurer, Progressive, and, following instructions from the rental car company, paid a $1,000 deductible upfront. The case is currently under investigation by Progressive and the Las Vegas police. The family was told that because the vehicle was not equipped with a tracking device or other theft-prevention equipment, the investigation and any potential recovery could take several months.
Ms. Kim said she decided to share her experience so other Korean American travelers during the year-end and New Year holiday period would not fall victim to similar scams. She added that while the incident did not lead to major direct harm to her family, she hopes no additional victims will come forward.
BY KYEONGJUN KIM [kim.kyeongjun1@koreadaily.com]
