You Won't Believe How Much Gas Station Panhandlers Make Per Day
(with video below) Imagine this: you fill your tank and a man who seems very agitated approaches you, holding an empty plastic canister. "I really apologize. I just ran out of gas two blocks away. Just by that 7-eleven back there". Has that ever happened to you? This is a well-oiled money making machine that you may become a victim of. How does the scam work?
Watch the video below to see in action real footage of this trick, disclosing the amount of money scammers make:
Gas Station Client Scam VideoAfter the panhandler comes over, he also says that he forgot his wallet at home. He might even hand you a fake business card or write down a name, address and phone number. Very apologetic, he mumbles: "I just need $10-$15, to get a few liters until I get home. I'll return the money, if you just give me your number as well. I will call you as soon as I get home".
Seeing him well-dressed and respectful, you hand him a $10 bill. If you offer him a ride or a cell phone to call his family, he will find a reason to refuse and move away.
There has been an increase in reports exposing this scam lately on a series of forums and complaint boards. As you've seen in the video above, some scammers make more than $50/hour.
Gas Station Panhandler: How To Avoid
We all forget our wallets at home occasionally – and that's okay. However, if you are approached make sure you see their car and the proof that they actually own it. If you can't, offer to fill their jerrycan rather than giving out cash.
Also, there is no shame in asking them to show you an identification document. Business cards don't count.
Gas Station Panhandler: How To Report
Make your family and friends aware of the Gas Station Panhandling scam by sharing it on social media using the buttons provided. You can also officially report the scammers to the Federal Trade Commission using the link below:
Report To The FTC Here
How to protect yourself more:
If you want to be the first to find out the most notorious scams every week, feel free to subscribe to the Scam Detector newsletter here. You'll receive periodical emails and we promise not to spam. Last but not least, use the Comments section below to expose other scammers.
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This happened to me today (LA COUNTY) however the difference was he offered to pay for my gas in exchange for cash…this was at Sams…he said he needed the cash to purchase a cake? Or something inside Sams i guess they wouldn’t accept his card maybe because he didnt have his id??? and would give me $30 in gas in exchange of me giving him $20.Same thing with leaving the wallet though.I declined because it didn’t mak any sense he asked another customer who declined and he drove off. I should have gotten the tag number on the car but probably wouldn’t do much…
At a gas station in Los Angeles just today a young girl approached me with her ‘mom’ and said they just needed to fill the empty gas can they were holding as the moms car was completely out. They seemed friendly enough so I gave them $10 since that’s what they said it cost to fill the container. I turned around to pump my own gas and saw the young girl get in a car with a young guy and drive off. I then searched around for the mom but she had disappeared. Learned my lesson!
# "he forgot his wallet"
# "no shame in asking them to show you ID"
No shame in stupidly asking for ID from someone with no wallet??
strange… the person who did this to me actually had a nice car. he got back in it and waited till i left. i had given him $7
Ya seen this and was a victim. Just say no get a life
the scam around dfw is you see that black mercedes over there i am out of gas can you help me i says, go buy a toyota they get better milage and you will have some spare money i dont carry anything bu a debit card