Suspects allegedly tampered with vehicle listed for sale near Harriston

A car tire is seen in this undated stock image. (Mike Bird/Pexels.com)

People trying to sell a vehicle online are being warned to be wary of some would-be buyers.

The Wellington County Ontario Provincial Police were called to a home outside of Harriston on April 30 around 8:30 p.m.

They were told a person had listed their vehicle for sale on an online marketplace and were contacted by a potential buyer who said they were willing to purchase the vehicle for the listed price.

Later that day, the suspect and one other person arrived at the seller’s home to take a test drive. Shortly after setting off, the vehicle began to billow black smoke, and oil was found covering the engine and tail pipe. The suspect offered to buy the vehicle for significantly less than the original asking price. They were turned down.

The seller believes the vehicle was tampered with at some point before the test drive in an attempt to get a lower price.

Police said fraudsters may try to distract sellers or even go to a home before the scheduled test drive to tamper with a vehicle.

Sellers are encouraged to use Safe Trade parking spaces found at police detachments in Rockwood, Fergus and Teviotdale.