Truckers are falling victim to a well-rehearsed scam at truck stops on I-85 in Jackson County which cost one man as much as $2,700.
Scam artists are apparently targeting truckers without CBs in their trucks, perhaps in an attempt to keep them from effectively warning others or calling for help.
Two truckers shared their stories with the Athens Banner-Herald after they were taken for over $3,000 combined.
“I’m sure they’ve done it before. They had it set up perfect,” said one.
It began with a man approaching his truck and asking if he had a CB radio inside. When he answered that he didn’t, the man told him that there was a trucker inside the truck stop that had just hit the jackpot at the local casino and was giving away money and a free meal inside the stop.
When he approached, the trucker found a man who was handing out money to other people. The supposed winner told the trucker that he would double whatever money he had in his pockets, but when he pulled out cash, the men grabbed the money and ran.
One trucker was taken for $2,700 – money he had collected from customers over the past couple of days which he owes to his truck’s owner.
“They got me good. I’m obligated morally to repay that money,” he said according to the Athens Banner-Herald. “Now, I’ll have to work like a slave to pay this debit[sic] back.”
The two truckers called the police, who told the unlucky truckers that there wasn’t even a casino nearby.
Source: athensbannerherald
Image Source: depositphotos
Where’s Bill Engvall when you need him?
LMAO! WOW! They have some real winners driving trucks these days… Just go home and stay there.
Man their are some stupid drivers out here
I’m finding it a hard to feel too sorry for anyone who falls for this.
Duh
Bunch of guys tried that on me at the petro in new Paris ohio. Same story. Basically told me to go get whatever I could out of the atm and come back and he’d double it. One guy even followed me to the atm. I didn’t take much out and they didn’t get any of it, but they sure tried. They didn’t care if I had a Cb or not so word must have got around and forced them to move out of there.
Who!! I mean some common sence needs to be used. “If it’s too good to be true, there is a problem”. Let me say something here too, truck drivers need to get in better shape, back when everyone was somewhat fit you could chase anyone around running without a problem, not only guns fight people. He could have chase the guy or something. But he just took the money and ran.. A bit funny but messed up!
Wow, really? There are drivers falling for this crap? Wow…
They have been using that same scam for years. Only difference between thst one, and the one most use. Is they play 3 card monty to get your money. I have seen it in indiana , louisiana, and alabama. Always the same approach about hitting lottery or jackpot from something.
I saw the 3 card run by 4 guys in Vegas at Petro years ago. One guy at the cards and 3 trolling for for marks. The 3 would play and win, then get a drver to and supposed help him and he’d lose.
stupid is as stupid does
Years ago 3 card Monty used to be the big scam. Lots of drivers fell for that too.Drivers are people . They follow the same greed of something for nothing every one else does. Doesn’t matter what their job is.
I fell for this one too. Now I think twice.
That exact same scam has been going on since at least 1992. I’ve seen the same Irish Travelers doing it from PA to CA.
^4 up….boy is that an understatement.
I took a 14 year sabbatical from trucking to start my own business unrelated to the trucking industry. I lost my business after 8 years when the recession pulled the carpet from underneath me.
I had to climb back into a truck after years away to pay the bills as much as I didn’t want to. Had to get the CDL and re-training all over again even though I had million+ miles previously. I had more overall experience than the guy training me did, but I had to suck it up.
I guess the long-winded point here is after climbing back into a truck one of the first things I noticed was the level of stupidity of sooo many drivers in trucking now. It is absolutely astonishing.
It’s no wonder the public in general looks down on us. I’ve met a lot of really good guys out here over the years, but that was then, this is now. Most of the good guys out here have bailed or are bailing out. Just way to many cementheads dominating the industry out here now.
I thought the CDL was supposed to root out all the wing nuts!?
It became pretty obvious to me in a pretty short time that the intellect level of a majority of the drivers out here now days finished in the bottom 10% of their class in high school, if they even finished any kind of school.
I read these articles and just shake my head at the level of ignorance of so many of these drivers out here now. A majority of them are about as sharp as a bowling ball.
Welcome back , hehehe!
Definitely true. I always say the trucking world has to have the lowest average IQ of the all industries.
Scam artists, (thieves) can only function when folks are either stupid or greedy or both.
This is a very old scam that has been in ttuck stops for years. I have been approched several times by these same scammers and did not fall for it. Use your head. ” if it sounds too good to be true it probably is
Greed will get ya every time. . Foolish people. needGod.c. So be sure you think about it.
Level of education has nothing to do weather you are a cement head or not.
He really didn’t mention level of education.
I reported that same activity to law enforcement over 3 years ago. They never sent anyone out. Pilot on I-85
They go from “Hey, do you have a CB radio?” to “A guy in the store just won a jackpot!” to “Show me how much money you’re carrying” and this doesn’t throw up any red flags?
So… devil’s advocate, here, but the CB question could be attributed to the guy wanting to use your CB to tell everyone at the truck stop, over the radio… it’s the “show me all your money” part that should raise red flags.
But hey, we do it with banks… if some guy walked up to you on the corner and asked you to let him hold your money for safekeeping, you’d laugh him right down the street. But put a tie on him, give him an office and a fancy title like “financial advisor”, and suddenly people think that this is a great idea… maybe there are a few more cement-heads than you thought, out there…
If you’re stupid enough to far for this, you deserve what you get
Another scam they like to pull at truck stops is sell a dvd player (no actual dvd player in the box), instead the box has two bricks in it. My instructor told me he fell for that and when his kid opened the box all he got were a couple bricks. His kid thought it was a joke and asked his Dad for the player.
people are foolish … looking for an easy dollar …. you’ve learned a hard lesson ….. and rest easy as you pay back the debts induced by your stupidity ….. GOD will take care of the thieves in the end .. give your life to HIM and rest easy … PRAISE GOD !!!!!!
God does not work fast enough.
So now you know and the next persons that comes up to you with this story, just rare back and hit him square in the mouth.
Ok guys this is nothing unusual we as a group are hit everyday by some scam in some way form or fashion take the Pilot corporate fuel scam and to beat it all, the owner of all Pilots brother is the Governor of the state of Tennessee I live here and within the state, greed is rampant.
Open your eyes every trucking company is ALWAYS taking advantage of the company drivers or Independents. Take for example the new pay scale plans. or the sign on bonus deals, there not quite as evident as the 4 individual scam artist working the parking lots but they are very similar in nature when it comes to semantics, greed, bait and switch, the word new indicates ie. new way to be screwed / taken advantage of! get the Idea?
The problem is a lot of drivers educated or not. Have trouble understanding the scams of life. Think twice then think for the third time about the outcome that could happen stay in the moment and focus.
I’m very glad to be a truck driver at one time in the USA “after WWII this was the most respected profession in the land” and we had leaders that were straight shooters even congress is a scam and the president. WOW another bazaar subject matter. Pray for the weak for the weak shall inherit the earth.
I can’ wait to get out of this business and move to another country and not deal with the BS anymore.Just my 2¢ worth
This has been around for a while. Had a group of guys doing the same scam in West Memphis, At the pilot 6 or 7 years ago.
This is why I have a 130 pound pit in my truck. They snatch my cash they won’t out run him. Lol
That’s why they send you into the building, and get you away from your truck…
This was going on in Louisville KY the other day at the point guy calming to have won over 250000 dollars
Just goes to show that you can’t fix stupid
I’m pretty course and tell anyone approaching me like that…beat it..I’m a mean ole bastard….ha ha ha…they look at me and don’t know what to think of my demeanor and leave…afterwards I laugh like hell. I mean like some have said here it’s been around a long time. He’ll I didn’t even believe that an officer of the law was who he was one time, I said well there’s a lot of impersonators going around playing cop…he laughed and said here’s my credentials, he just doing a compliance check, he said you know I don’t get many asking to prove I’m a police officer. Anyways I hate to laugh at these two drivers but c’mon now..lol
I got ripped off of $470 today by the same scam listed at the beginning of this article. It was at a Loves on I-10 in north Florida – so, prob the same guys that hit Georgia. I am a woman and an RVer (5th wheel) and was fueling up when a guy showed up to tell me a driver had hit the jackpot etc. etc. Of course I feel really stupid, but it all went so fast! I am normally the most level headed person in the room. There were four guys involved and the minute they grabbed my money they scattered and I couldn’t find any of them. A minute later a statie pulled in and I told him what happened. Scumbags! And yes, hard lesson learned.