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IRVINE (CNS) - Two men were behind bars Thursday on suspicion of using a social media scam to steal a car in Irvine, a growing trend in Southern California.
The victim responded to a Facebook Marketplace ad looking to hire someone to transport cash, police said. The victim drove from Oxnard to meet a suspect Wednesday afternoon in Irvine near Michelson Drive and Royce Road.
The suspect said he needed to borrow the car to pick up the cash and when he drove off and didn't return, the victim called police.
Police suspected the thief was headed to Mexico, so an alert was sent out to the California Highway Patrol and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and border patrol officials found the stolen vehicle at the San Ysidro entry point, police said.
Two men in the car were arrested. Abel Cortes, 21, and Christopher Hernandez, 20, both of Tijuana, were booked on suspicion of possessing a stolen vehicle, police said.
Police say the trend is on the rise and targets Spanish-speaking residents.