We all come across online scams of all kinds. Phishing emails fill our inboxes every day. Staying cyber-savvy is like a job. But there are problems in the real world, too. Staying safe outdoors is essential, even in places as simple as gas stations.
Beyond online threats, crafty scams are still lurking in our everyday lives, ready to catch unsuspecting individuals off guard, especially when you’re just trying to fill up your gas tank with a scam that uses something shiny and is happening far too often.
Gas stations are easy targets for criminals. Card skimmers are a big problem. They quickly steal your financial data and cause huge losses every year. But the scams are different, too. They happen right out in the open, and this time there’s no electronics involved.
These scams often rely on a bit of sweet talk and fake props, commonly known as the “Freeway Gold” scam, and they frequently prey on people’s kindness and desire to help someone in need, or perhaps their hope of snagging a good deal.
What does the “Freeway Gold” scam look like? Imagine a scene like this. You’re at a gas station. Focusing on the gas tank or leaving the car. Someone walks by you. Usually a man, sometimes a family. The car they drive looks pretty nice, too.
Maybe an expensive SUV model. The car itself always looks immaculate. But the person has a story. Always dramatic. Designed to break your heart. Trying to resonate with you inside.
The story is simple, but very convincing. They’re stuck there. Need gas money to drive home quickly. They say they’re on a business trip. Or there’s a big problem at home. Their card doesn’t work at the time. This sets up the next step.
What they offer is a good faith offering. A piece of jewelry they are wearing right now. Usually part of a ring or necklace. It has a large 14k gold mark on it, sometimes 18k gold. This mark is very obvious and is intentionally made to look valuable.
The scammer will show you the item and claim it is a valuable piece of gold. But now they need it urgently. They will sell it for a small amount of money. Like a hundred dollars or a little more. The implication is that it will always be worth much more.
The story could also be the other way around. They will not sell it all right now. Instead they are leaving it to you. As collateral or collateral. Promising to pay it back later. Paying back the money you lent them, maybe with a little interest later.
The goal is to get the victim thinking immediately. Not only is it helping someone in need, but maybe it’s a real bargain, or at least a safe cash transaction. This win-win seems great.
While these dazzling jewels might look appealing, they’re actually cheap fakes made from base metals like copper, completely lacking any precious metal content, and even the purity marks are fraudulent, making what appears valuable entirely worthless.
The scammers’ methods are quite effective as they often target busy locations like gas stations, rest areas, and roadside parking spots where people are typically in transit and preoccupied, making them easier to surprise and dupe.
The constant flow of potential targets at places like gas stations, combined with the scammers’ ability to move quickly, means that if one attempt fails, they can simply move on to the next person with a low risk of getting caught by law enforcement.
Echoing this, someone online shared their experience of being approached by two people at a gas station who, in Spanish, claimed to be from out of state and needed gas money, offering a gold chain in return, prompting the commenter to quickly leave and wonder about the outcome.
The answer was simple, they wanted cash. Used useless scrap metal in exchange. Other users recognized this as well. The gold ring scam looks like this. They may cry and say they lost their wallet. Need help paying for gas. Use fake gold coins in exchange for your money.
You will end up losing hundreds of dollars. People fall for it all the time. You see, the scammers drive nice cars. Or fake jewelry that looks realistic. After multiple encounters, the consensus is clear. Any time someone asks you for money, especially near a gas station.
Quickly identify it as a scam. Quickly leave. Another person agreed completely. He said that “the car is out of gas” is the oldest trick. Adding fake gold coins is just a gimmick. Now it makes the request look more real. It’s not like begging all the time, but more like a transaction.
Police across the country have issued alerts. The Saskatchewan RCMP has also revealed this trend. Fake gold scams are happening frequently. Someone offers to sell or trade fake gold, asks for money in an emergency, or even offers fake gold as collateral, and sometimes even takes your jewelry.
Police reports highlight the prevalence of this scam; on September 13, 2024, the Carlisle RCMP received a report near Highway 13 where a driver, after asking for gas money, offered a gold ring in exchange for additional payment, with similar incidents reported by others shortly after.
Just a few days later, on September 16, the Shaunavon RCMP also received a similar report where a male driver stopped another motorist, initially asking for gas money, then requesting more cash after some had been given, and finally presenting a gold ring, confirming these are not isolated events.
This is part of a larger trend at present. People are selling fake “gold jewelry” in public places, such as gas stations and parking lots. The main purpose is for money. Police said the jewelry was not genuine. It had no value at all.
So how to quickly identify this kind of person? Looks friendly but seems urgent. Then it may actually be a scammer. Now the first and most important red flag is the story itself. Strangers will approach you anywhere. They often tell urgent stories.
Especially next to a gas station. Suspicion should be raised immediately. A real urgent need, not a jewelry store. Experts mentioned this. Another key sign is the offer of jewelry. The scammer wants you to think it is nice. Offer personal jewelry that they are currently wearing.
If someone offers jewelry for a small amount of gas money with phrases like “Here is jewelry to make up for your troubles,” it’s a significant red flag because nothing about this situation is normal, and they might make other strange requests, making these transactions highly suspect.
Pay attention to any obvious markings on the jewelry, as scammers often include them to make the items look legitimate, and while some experts might recognize specific markings, everyday, uncommon jewelry or heavy 18k gold pieces offered by strangers should be a major warning sign at gas stations.
Now think about the scammer’s logic. If they have real gold and silver and need cash urgently. The most reasonable path is always simple. Sell the jewelry to a legitimate merchant. Usually deals in precious metals. Pawn shops or jewelers will do this.
There have been many incidents near such places. They will test the gold and buy it. In fact, they will find random people. The situation at the gas station now proves this. The “gold” is not real, and they know it. They can’t always pass professional tests. There are also nice cars and families there.
Maybe it’s to build trust. Or to make you resonate quickly. Make things look less like begging. There are more real travel problems. But even this can be a red flag. Why can’t credit cards work with nice cars and families? They made up part of the story at the time.
Now the jewelry transaction seems normal. In essence, it is a gold ring scam. Relying on creating a sense of urgency. Forging a story that you can understand. The items displayed always look valuable. The prices given make people feel like a good deal.
For victims of gold ring scams and similar scams in public places, always report it. Report it to your local police; this helps them stop similar cases from happening. Also, for any credit card scams, such as skimming, tell the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Reporting to the FTC helps protect more people from being victimized in the future. Reporting also provides useful information that helps the FTC take down these criminal gangs. These steps can help prevent today’s scams, whether it’s the traditional fake gold scam or the new high-tech skimming problem that’s everywhere.
