It started when the victim of the scam found a vehicle listing on Craigslist and contacted the seller, according to the Corona Police Department.
The victim paid $23,000 after reviewing what appeared to be legitimate DMV paperwork. But authorities say the registration documents were fake.
The victim looked for other cars that appeared to be from the same sellers. She found one and told police.
"Our investigators arranged a meeting with the suspect. And as it turned out, he had another rental car that he had already set up with fake title license plates and identification to sell," Sgt. Robert Montanez said.
Video shows the moment Corona police catch one of the suspects.
Investigators say he was part of a scam where they would sell a car that didn't belong to them.
Authorities later discovered that the suspects, identified as Sebastian Flores and Lasso Floris, rented the car on the Turo app and then forged a title.
Turo is an online car sharing company.
"These criminals teamed up with people who passed our rigorous screening process to steal and sell cars listed on Turo. Our safety protocols are the gold standard in the rental car industry, and we are standing behind our hosts to ensure they are reimbursed under our protection plans. We are working closely with law enforcement to make sure these criminals are brought to justice," Turo said in a statement.
A records check showed Flores had an active felony warrant for conspiracy and auto theft. Floris had a felony warrant for trafficking stolen vehicles.
They were arrested on Feb. 26 and are both facing multiple felony charges, including conspiracy, auto theft and fraud.
Both men allegedly live in Phoenix but have ties to Southern California.
Investigators believe there are more victims of the scam and are asking them to come forward. Anyone with information is urged to contact detectives at (951) 279-3633.