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Car sharing service says 100 cars, including 50 Mercedes-Benz, disappeared in Chicago

By Melissa Alonso, CNN

Authorities say that more than 100 missing vehicles, including 50 Mercedes-Benz, may have been fraudulently rented through a mobile app in Chicago.

Police were alerted by car-sharing service Car2Go “that some of their vehicles may have been rented by deceptive or fraudulent means” on Wednesday.

Numerous vehicles have been recovered at the West Side of Chicago and more than a a “dozen persons of interest” are being questioned. Police spokesperson Christine Calace said 21 people were charged with misdemeanor criminal trespass to vehicles. One also was charged with felony financial identity theft.

“Currently, 100 vehicles are unaccounted for and it is believed that 50 vehicles, all Mercedes Benz, remain in the Chicago land area,” Officer Jose Jara, another spokesperson for the department, told CNN.

According to it’s website, users can “grab a Car2Go from anywhere on the street, then drop it off anywhere on the street in the operating area.” The company operates in 10 cities throughout the US and Canada. The company’s fleet options in Chicago include the Mercedes-Benz GLA, Mercedes-Benz CLA and a smart car fit for two people.

“We are currently working with law enforcement to neutralize a fraud issue in Chicago,” Car2Go released in a statement. “Out of an abundance of caution and safety for our members we are temporarily pausing our Chicago service.”

Car2Go reassured their customers that this was not a hacking and “no personal or confidential member information has been compromised.”

This article originally appeared on CNN.

 

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