6 Men Arrested for Allegedly Damaging Vehicles in Alberta to Pressure Sellers Into Lower Prices

Six men were arrested in Edmonton on charges related to damaging used vehicles during purchase negotiations to pressure sellers into lowering their asking prices, Edmonton police said.

The men are alleged to have used distraction-style tactics to damage the vehicles, or make them appear seriously damaged, during sales transactions, police said in a news release, as they warned the public of similar fraud schemes.

The six men—Constantin Dumitru, 26, Tiberius Grigore, 34, Cosmin Mustata, 26, Remus Rafaila, 32, Orlando Turcan, 24, and Florin Constantin, 39—are facing a combined total of 33 charges, including mischief over $5,000, uttering a forged document, and fraud over $5,000.

The arrests and charges follow an investigation in October 2025, when police executed a search warrant in relation to multiple traffic complaints at a residence in south Edmonton through which they seized nine vehicles.

Police allege that the six men had fraudulently purchased and registered the vehicles to use them in other crimes.

Describing how the vehicles were purchased, police said the suspects often arrived in groups of two or three, with some distracting sellers while others allegedly tampered with the vehicles. They would then point to purported mechanical problems, such as oil leaks or engine damage, and pressure sellers into accepting significantly lower prices—sometimes after arguing for hours. Investigators said the vehicles did not have those issues before meeting the suspects.

“In some occurrences, the buyers have also tried to force cash into the seller’s hand, asked to keep the license plate or simply drove away with the seller’s license plate before they could remove it,” Const. Shiva Shunmugam said.

Police have identified at least 13 complainants related to the case. Police issued photos of the six suspects along with the news release, asking anyone else with complaints or information related to the case to call the Edmonton Police Service at 780-423-4567 or dialling #377 from a mobile phone.

Anonymous information can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.p3tips.com/250, they said.

The police also offered several tips to those selling used vehicles to avoid fraud.

Sellers should avoid meeting prospective buyers in a secluded place or inviting them to their home, and should be wary of any claims of serious mechanical issues with the vehicle if it was recently checked with no concerns found.

Police suggested those in Edmonton who are selling items to meet buyers at an EPS Buy and Sell Exchange Zone—or at a mechanic in the case of selling a vehicle—asking the buyer for a photo ID and taking a picture of it.