South Africans motorists have been urged to be on high alert for two new petrol station hijacking scams. Photo: Michel Bega
Crafty criminals have concocted two new elaborate scams aimed at targeting unsuspecting South African motorists at petrol stations.
The concerning rise in these scams is in addition to various new sophisticated hijacking trends, including bank app kidnappings, used by crime syndicates.
ALSO READ: WATCH: Motorists beware! Banking app kidnapping and other hijacking trends
The first notable trend has been dubbed “The Schoolgirl” and targets male motorists stopping at a filling station.
The modus operandi of the criminals’ organised routine is as follows:
The motorist, who is filling up or parked at a petrol station, is approached by a teenage schoolgirl in a uniform.
She asks the motorist whether she can use their cellphone to call her mother because she has run out of airtime. The “schoolgirl” uses this opportunity to unexpectedly jump into the vehicle.
“The main objective is to climb into your vehicle. As soon as that girl is inside the car waiting to use your phone, a supposed metro police officer knocks on your window, asking what’s going on. This is when the schoolgirl starts calling for help, accusing the driver of abduction and attempted rape,” explained National Hijack Prevention Academy chief instructor Richard Brussow.
According to Brussow, such an accusation equals immediate arrest under the new gender-based violence (GBV) or domestic violence act.
A presumably fake police officer then appears on the scene and tells the motorist that if he pays the girl R3,000, it will “all go away”.
“I’ve dealt with cases where the motorist has been placed in handcuffs and berated for the situation they find themselves in,” Brussow told BusinessTech.
Brussow added that, in some cases, the criminals are not satisfied with merely soliciting a once-off bribe.
“They take your details and phone you periodically, telling you that you must pay for the girl not to press charges against you.”
He warned motorists to always keep their doors locked when stopping at a filling station and to be on the lookout for “The Schoolgirl” scam.
“Be very, very careful here. If you get approached by a schoolgirl at a petrol station, do not let her in your vehicle under any circumstances. Lock your doors and don’t engage with anyone that’s not an employee of the filling station.”
The second scam is mostly aimed at female motorists, who are approached by a woman asking them for help in contacting their husbands after an apparent robbery.
When the husband cannot be contacted, the driver is tricked into giving the lady a lift, after which she is stopped by another two criminals and driven to ATMs to withdraw cash.
According to MasterDrive CEO Eugene Herbert, criminals are preying on the victims’ natural desire to help others with these two petrol station hijacking ploys.
“One can still help, but more cautiously. Assist the woman by calling the police for her. Never allow a stranger into your car. You can still help others without risking your own safety,” Herbert advised.
“In the first scenario, the driver should not invite the girl into the car, and the doors should be locked. If your car’s doors do not lock automatically, develop a habit of locking it immediately when entering your vehicle. This will protect you against criminals at traffic lights or filling stations. If you unlock your doors to open the petrol flap, immediately lock them afterwards,” he added.
Herbert urged motorists to report these petrol station hijacking scams.
“Both scenarios should be reported because if law enforcement is not aware of hotspots and the crime’s common occurrence, measures cannot be taken to reduce it.”
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