The Petrol Scam
People must be getting really unlucky on Britain’s motorways these days. After all, they keep running out of petrol – at least, that’s what they are telling me. In the past few weeks I’ve been accosted on no less than four occasions at motorway service stations by these hapless travellers. So lacking in foresight – and presumably folding stuff – are they, that they apparently set out on their journeys completely unprepared for the need for fuel. At least, that’s the impression they would like me to believe.
I think the most pathetic was the chap at Frankley on the M5 who would have me believe that his wife and child were waiting somewhere on the hard shoulder because the police had refused to provide any assistance, forcing him to walk along the hard shoulder to the nearest services – and, as luck would have it, not only had he run out of petrol, he had no money to buy some more, so could I let him have some of mine, please? The more sharp eyed among his potential marks might have noticed that he had no petrol can, either, so getting it back to the car was going to be interesting.
I have to admire the sheer cheek of the guy at Donington Park who told me that he was happy to accept Euros if I had no UK currency with me. I’m sure he was, but it wouldn’t have been much use in the petrol station. But, then, this wasn’t about petrol, was it? And, again, no petrol can in sight, so I wonder where he planned to put this petrol that he supposedly wanted to buy.
I was accosted twice today at Leicester southbound. Once on the way in, where a scrote asked me to do him a big, big favour and give him some money for petrol. His story might have been a smidgen more believable if he had put his mobile phone away – after all, the obvious response would be “phone a friend”. It went through my mind, although I didn’t articulate it; I merely pointed out that I had heard this story already. Then on the way out, god dammit, if another of the buggers didn’t try the same trick. What is it about Leicester? is all the petrol evaporating out of the fuel tanks or something?
What is it with these people? Isn’t plain old begging good enough for them? I wouldn’t mind, but they can’t even be bothered to buy a petrol can to make their flannel even slightly authentic. If they can’t be bothered, why should I?
All that said, I didn’t see anyone falling for it…
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