Fraudsters target Car2go, steal 100 Mercedes-Benz vehicles in Chicago

Car2go, the German car rental company and a subsidiary of Daimler AG has suspended its service in Chicago, amidst reports of hacking and mass car theft. Furthermore, most of the stolen cars were high-end luxury Mercedes-Benz vehicles. Car2go alerted the Chicago Police Department (CPD) of the crime, stating that numerous fraudulent accounts were created through its mobile app to rent vehicles, which were then stolen in large numbers.

Moreover, some reports even suggested that many of the stolen vehicles were later on used to commit other crimes, but the police department refused to disclose any details. It was announced that more than 100 vehicles have gone missing. CPD stated that it was working with Car2go to determine if there were any other vehicles that were unaccounted for. However, a spokesperson for Car2go released a statement saying that the personal information of all the members was secure. 

Car2go was started in 2008 and operates a massive fleet of over 2,500,000 registered vehicles in 26 locations in Europe, Asia, and North America. The company offers its Smart and Mercedes-Benz vehicles for temporary renting, one time rentals and charges by the minute, hour and number of days, depending upon the type of vehicle and the service availed.

The company initially offered only its tiny Smart vehicle, but later on, added luxury models from the Mercedes-Benz lineup.