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Vehicle Thefts During Test Drives On The Rise

Phoenix police say if you’re planning to sell a car on your own, be careful about letting a potential buyer take a test drive without you. 

Sergeant James Holmes said  they’re seeing a spike in test drives that turn into car thefts.

“These particular suspects ask to test drive the vehicle and the victim, thinking there’s nothing wrong with that will let the suspect take off in the car or the truck and at that point the suspect does not return," Holmes said.

Holmes said the victims are primarily Latinos and investigators believe the thieves may be acting on the idea that they would be reluctant to report the theft to police, for any number of reasons, including their immigration status. 

But Holmes said that is never an issue when reporting a crime and urges victims of this type of incident not to hesitate to call police.