When a Utah woman and her boyfriend returned to their vehicle in a Costco parking lot, they never expected that it wouldn’t start. Amidst the stress, they were approached by two men who claimed to be mechanics who could help them. But this woman thought the whole situation seemed off and suspicious.
Jasna (@jasnahooke) said she was shopping with her boyfriend when they returned to their vehicle at the American Fork Costco. They tried to start the vehicle and it wasn’t starting. At this point, two men approached their vehicle and asked, “Do you need a jump?” Jasna said she wasn’t sure if they needed help, and then things started to seem suspicious to her. She thought it was odd that their vehicle suddenly wasn’t working. She found it odd that two men who were allegedly “mechanics” were already there to help.
Jasna said she didn’t want to accuse the men of anything. So, she thanked them and told them they would get help from a friend. When she told him to stop touching her vehicle, he started being “extremely aggressive” toward them. She told them, “This seems really weird. I’m not sure what you’re trying to do but I feel like you did something to our car.” When she makes this accusation, the two men got inside their car so they could quickly leave. Jasna recorded a video of the men and their license plate. Then, she called the police.
Police looked at the vehicle and said the men definitely did something to their vehicle so it wouldn’t work. While police were there, she noticed another man sitting there and listening to them. She thinks it’s possible that he was someone who was also “in on” the scam. Eventually, police go to speak with the man and Jasna doesn’t hear anything else about it.
In an update, Jasna states that multiple people reached out in the area because this same thing happened to them. She also says that police looked at footage and found that the two “mechanics” went under her boyfriend’s vehicle and unplugged something so it wouldn’t work. Upon taking the vehicle to a mechanic, they said the throttle body was unplugged and that’s why the vehicle wouldn’t start. She said the two scammers demanded $200 to fix the vehicle. She thinks this is a common scam in the area now.
Jasna’s video immediately sparked reactions and similar stories from individuals. One commenter applauded Jasna for her smart thinking by stating, “Girl you are smart!” Another commenter shared with others, “Trust your instincts. You have them for a reason!” One commenter added, “It’s crazy how any random interaction we have outside can potentially be a scam or hurt us. So many trust issues now.”
The video continues to resonate with viewers, many of whom praised Jasna for trusting her instincts and refusing to hand over any money. For many commenters, the encounter also served as a reminder to stay alert, as seemingly ordinary interactions in busy parking lots can quickly take an unexpected turn.
