It’s a Dangerous Road
From car insurance tricks to frightening road encounters, these are scams you may not even realize are all that common. To keep yourself and your loved ones safe on the streets, you’ll want to keep these 20 road scams in mind. If you haven’t gotten a dash camera yet, this is the motivation you need.
1. Gas Pump Skimming
This is a common kind of scam you can find everywhere, on-road and off-road. When you go to an isolated and small-scale gas station, you may innocently use your credit card for payment, not realizing that the device is set up to steal your details. You can either assess the device for signs of tampering or just keep things simple with a stack of cash.
2. Rental Car Scam
Most people don’t see the harm in getting a rental car, but some companies may be all too eager to make an extra buck at your expense. They will falsely claim you damaged the vehicle and charge you for expensive repairs.
3. The “Repair”
Many of us have horrible stories of mechanics who lead us on with faulty information or car repairs that never seem to end as they keep asking you to come back. Well, this could be a scam, as some repair shops will do half-hearted jobs to ensure you have to keep coming back.
4. Staged Rear-Ending
The title says it all: the scammer appears to be a regular driver on the road in front of you. Then, they suddenly press the brake, giving you no time to react and causing you to slam into the rear-end of their vehicle.
5. Fake Roadside Assistance
Car trouble can happen to the best of us, and there’s nothing more annoying than standing at the side of the road trying to figure out what to do. A stranger approaching and offering help might seem like a godsend, but in reality, this could be the scammer. They may pretend to help, but in reality, they’re just seeing what they can steal. They may even charge you for their “services” after helping.
6. Damsel in Distress
There’s nothing wrong with wanting to help others, and when you see someone on the side of the road looking like they need a hand, perhaps you’re all too eager to help. But if you’re on an isolated road, be wary, as this could be a robber trying to lure you in.
7. Repair Shop Referrals
When a tow truck driver arrives after an incident, they may suggest or insist on a specific repair shop. If you let them push you into going to this shop, expect exorbitant prices and unnecessary repairs. The driver does this because they probably have a finder’s fee relationship with the shop.
Laurel and Michael Evans on Unsplash
8. Fake Tow Truck
When an accident does occur or your car breaks down, the last thing you’re thinking about is the legitimacy of the tow truck driver that approaches. But scammers are often looking to get you when you’re short on luck. Keep an eye out for fraudulent or unsolicited tow truck drivers.
9. The Road Block
If you’ve seen the TV show From, then you know to be wary of sudden trees on the road. Regardless, if there is a sudden obstacle on an isolated or remote road, don’t get out of your car to assess. Many scammers and robbers use this to trap people, waiting for them to get out. Instead, turn away immediately and drive back down the road.
10. Sideswipe
The goal of this scammer is to force you to turn and collide with another car. They wait in the side lane, looking for someone attempting a tight turn or slightly distracted. When the scammer spots the opportunity, they quickly accelerate and pull in front of the lane-switching car.
11. Malicious Travel Guide
Local gems are the best spots, and you often have to get insider knowledge to find them. However, be wary of the travel guides that approach you, as some of them may be trying to lead you to a common tourist trap or even dangerous situations.
12. Fake Police
Many of us have heard about fake police officers by now. They impersonate law enforcement, bringing people to stops only to force them to pay hefty fines right then or outright rob them. You don’t want to ignore the real police, but you don’t want to put yourself in a situation with a fake cop either. This is a hard one to get out of.
13. The Distraction Strategy
If you ever stop on the road to talk to a group of people flagging you down, be sure to keep an eye on your belongings. The goal here is for one scammer to distract you or even lure you out of the vehicle while the other takes your belongings.
14. Fake Injuries
In addition to faking an accident or making a big deal out of nothing, watch out for people who fake a bigger injury for a larger payout. They’ll probably be very dramatic and exaggerate details, especially in front of authorities.
Japanese_car_accident.jpg: Shuets Udono
derivative work: Torsodog (talk) on Wikimedia
15. Toll Road Scams
It can be difficult to keep track of all the roads you’ve driven down or all the freeways you ascended. So when you get home and receive an email from a toll company charging you, you may simply accept it and pay up. But in reality, this could be scammers trying to steal your bank information. Double-check that link!
16. Parking Lot Mishap
You were 100% certain you parked perfectly, nowhere near another car. But when you get back to the lot, you find an angry person pointing at a scratch or dent on their vehicle and demanding you pay for repairs. They will pretend you hit them when parking, threatening to escalate the situation.
17. Fake Damage
Instead of exaggerating their own injury, this scammer will exaggerate the damage to their vehicle. They’ll act like a mere scratch took the door off their car. To make this more convincing, the scammer might have done some damage to their own car beforehand so they can blame it on you.
18. Hotel Desk Calls
When you’re descending on a road trip, you’re probably eager to settle all the details before you arrive at your destination sluggish and tired. This is why scammers will try to catch you when you’re traveling, pretending to be the hotel and asking you to confirm card details.
19. Calls for Help
If you’re driving down a remote road and someone is suddenly running toward you and waving their hands for help, you might instinctively want to stop and check out the situation. But be cautious, as some regions use this as a scam to get you out of your vehicle so they can rob you.
20. The Windshield Washer
This is more common in developing countries, where a person with window-washing equipment will suddenly approach your car while it’s stopped. They will begin washing your window, and despite your attempts to discourage them, they won’t stop until it’s done. Then they’ll demand money, growing more aggressive and threatening to involve the authorities if you don’t pay for their service.
