ROSEVILLE, Calif. — Gas prices may be dropping, but that's not stopping people from trying new ways to steal gas.
FOX43 Finds Out what the latest scam is, so you don't become the next victim.
Video from our sister station in California shows the latest gas scam. You can see the man casually taking the gas nozzle from his pump and switching it with the one on the other side.
An unsuspecting customer pulls up on the other side, thinking he's pumping his own gas, when really he's just filling the tank of the scammer. By the time they realize what's happening, the other person has pulled away and their gas is paid for.
"We've seen a few cases historically where this has worked, and we have been able to, fortunately, catch people," Rob Baquera, with Roseville Police in California said.
In 2019, officers with Roseville Police arrested a man for pulling off the same scheme at least a dozen times.
FOX43 Finds Out did reach out to several police agencies in Pennsylvania to see if this has happened locally. So far, local police say this is the first they've heard of this scam.
It is a warning to people to be vigilant at the gas pump, especially with prices so high or if you're traveling.
The next time you fill up, make sure you look up.
Here's what the experts say: The hose should never cross over the pump. At any gas station, your hose nozzle will always be on the same side as the holster. If it's not, there's a problem.
Catching people who try to pull off this scam is fairly easy since plenty of gas stations have cameras that can snap the license plate of the person as they drive away, but what's annoying is what you'll have to go through to get your money back.
If you have a story you want Jackie De Tore to look into, FOX43 wants to find out. Send her a message on Facebook or send an email to FOX43FindsOut@FOX43.com.