Rising gas prices matches a growing number of scammers in South Texas trying to swindle people with various illegal techniques.
A stranger walked up to Rusty Ranks at a gas station pump on San Antonio’s south side Thursday morning and raised a credit card up in his hand.
“Hey, someone forgot their credit card and I just filled my (gas) tank up with it,” the stranger told Ranks. “For $20 you can use it too. It’s from this zip code: 78221.”
Ranks said he refused, but did see the unfamiliar man approach someone who “smiled and gave him a twenty and pumped some gas.”
San Antonio gas prices rose another 7 cents on average from last week says AAA Texas.
“I have to admit I was tempted because I hate to pay $3.42 for gas,” Ranks continued. “But I wonder about the poor guy who bought a lot of gallons of gas for others today.”
Just last week, Texans were paying $3.39 on average for a gallon of gas. This week it is up to $3.45 across the state.
“Scammers are out there in droves,” said was San Antonio bike patrol officer downtown. “You better watch out because they are skimming credit card numbers off of gas pumps, stealing gas and selling it off their pickups where they storing it in big tanks. They are a creative bunch.”
Similar cases of fraud, stolen fuel and credit cards are popping up in Austin, Fort Worth, and Houston.
Fort Worth detectives used surveillance cameras to catch one man who was filing up a large barrel he had in the bed his truck and followed him to the highway where he was selling gas to truck drivers.
Other fraud activity include asphalt paving, roof repairs, and swinders posing as utility worker scams.
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