ARA / CPP Rental Theft  Scam WARNING!

Earlier this month, a fraud scam was reported in both Southern California and Reno, Nevada.  It has since spread to the  Southwest and Texas. The California Crime Prevention Program has asked that this message to forwarded to rental companies throughout the United States.

The Scam

A driver will come into the rental yard driving a rented truck such as those rented by Penske or Ryder Truck rentals. The driver presents valid  purchase orders (P.O.s) from  large and usually well-known construction companies and will attempt to rent common items such as generators, pressure washers, cutoff saws, chain saws and other equipment that can be easily moved.  The driver may or may not be part of the scam;  several have been 'hired' off Craigslist and told to deliver the equipment to a fake job site. When they have returned the next day for work, the job site and equipment are gone.

While the P.O.s are valid, they have been stolen from the construction companies who are also victims of corporate identity theft.

If you suspect that you have been a victim of this scam, call local law enforcement and insist that a police report be filed. This scam involves grand theft and corporate identity theft. The driver may also be a source of information that the police can use in determining who is ultimately responsible for these crimes.

What Can You Do?

1.       Use caution when renting equipment to  a large construction corporation and the equipment is picked up in a Penske, Ryder or other consumer- truck rental vehicle - most large construction companies come to pick up equipment in their own vehicles. It is very likely the culprits will switch to another truck rental company, such as U-Haul or Budget.  Their employees often wear uniforms or have insignia on their clothing showing the company for whom they work or a business card.

 2.       Check out the  purchase order - its simple to make the call and see if the POs presented to you are authorized to be used for your equipment.