6 men accused of damaging vehicles to buy them for less in Edmonton area, Calgary
Posted May 11, 2026 10:37 am.
Last Updated May 11, 2026 7:18 pm.
Six men have been charged with intentionally damaging vehicles during private sales across Alberta with the goal of purchasing them at a cheaper price.
The Edmonton Police Service alleges the buyers would show up in a group of two or three and distract the seller while damaging or tampering with the vehicle. The suspects then convinced the sellers to sell the vehicle for much less.
Police add the vehicles were then fraudulently registered with forged documents, including lower odometer readings, and allegedly used in other crimes.
“Often, when the buyers arrive, they are very animated, tell sellers they are siblings (one of whom is desperate for transportation), and will try to send the seller into their home to get an item or distract the seller’s attention, during which they tamper with or damage the vehicle,” said Const. Shiva Shunmugam. “The buyers may then claim to call a mechanic, who confirms the damage and the high price to fix the vehicle, as a means of intimidating the seller to sell it for a lower price.”
The EPS believes this happened in various places across Alberta, including Edmonton, Calgary, Sherwood Park, Leduc and Thorsby. Police suspect that was done purposely “to avoid raising suspicions.”
There have been 13 complainants so far, and police believe there could be more.
In every case, police say vehicles did not have any of the damages prior to meeting with the accused buyers. In some instances, police say the suspects argued with the sellers for up to two hours before eventually convincing them to sell the vehicle for cheap.
“In some occurrences, the buyers have also tried to force cash into the seller’s hand, asked to keep the licence plate or simply drove away with the seller’s licence plate before they could remove it,” Shunmugam said.
Police say none of the sellers knew they had been victimized until they were notified by police.
Last October, police searched a south Edmonton home following multiple traffic complaints, and nine vehicles were seized.
Six men ranging in age from 24 to 39 are facing a combined total of 33 charges including mischief over $5,000, uttering a forged document and fraud over $5,000. Police did not indicate how many arrests have been made, but they say at least four of the accused are wanted on province-wide warrants.
