Single and vulnerable people are the main targets of this increasingly widespread scam.
Many consumers fall into the trap of crooks who exploit the benevolence of their victim during their daily purchases or their trips. These fraudsters have perfected the art of gaining their confidence in a few seconds: they adopt a helpful air, create a feeling of urgency and bet on the famous mutual aid reflex. Whether it is an unknown that requires help to wear your shopping while watching for the opportunity to steal your wallet in shopping centers, or find your lost dog, the principle is always the same. While you are distracted by their apparently legitimate request, their accomplices act in the shadows to spoil your most precious goods: cash, bank cards, cash tickets containing your data, or even personal information left in your vehicle.
Among these manipulation techniques targeting consumers, one of them is particularly raging during holiday periods and during shopping outings. The scenario of this scam always takes place in the same way: you have just finished your shopping and run quietly when suddenly, a car doubles and its occupants make you disturbing signs. They point to the back of your vehicle insistently. Panic, you stop in a parking lot or on the aisle. This is where you hear this fateful sentence that should alert you in the second: “Stop, there is a noise on your rear wheel”. This is the screaming scammer.
Some tourists recently fell into the panel. While they inspected their rear tire, an accomplice tried to rob their cabin to seize their wallet, their loyalty cards, cash tickets and potentially their blue card codes used for their recent purchases. This deception aims to extort you not only your property, but also to recover information about your consumption habits and your payment methods. The phenomenon of this scam takes such a magnitude that some highways sometimes display light panels with the message “A puncture could be a scam“To protect motorists.
To avoid these traps, stay vigilant in the face of certain alarm signals. Beware of motorists who make you insistent signs on the road, especially if they seem to want to have you arrested in an isolated place. France Bleu specifies that “The target is very often a single person and an elderly person”crooks deliberately choosing victims whom they perceive as vulnerable. If anyone does a problem on your vehicle, never go out at the same time and systematically lock your car. Always favor stops in frequented places such as official service areas rather than an emergency stop band. If in doubt, do not hesitate to contact the police!
