People can run into bad luck while they are on the road and become legitimate candidates for charity. Unfortunately, others are simply up to no good, warn officials at the U.S. Army Europe Office of the Provost Marshal.
“With the onset of summer, we again expect to see cases of people trying to defraud Americans on the road in Europe,” said Lt. Col. Shawn J. Kelley, USAREUR OPM law enforcement chief.
Officials said one type of common scam involves someone in a vehicle flagging down other vehicles to get money by falsely claiming to need help.
This kind of approach often happens close to a barracks gate, at a highway rest stop or on a road outside a town where vehicles must move slowly.
Sometimes the scammers offer drivers what appears to be gold jewelry as “collateral” so they can pay a “loan” back later, OPM officials said, but the rings and chains turn out to be brass imitations, and worth much less than what the victim paid the scammers.
OPM experts warn of a second scam that involves a con artist stopping an intended victim, and claiming to have run out of money at a trade fair. The scammer then offers to sell the victim his expensive goods — often jackets or coats — at a huge discount so he can buy gas to get home.
To avoid being scammed, Kelley recommends that members of the U.S. forces community in Europe keep these tips in mind:
• Beware of distractions if you are in your car alone. Someone talking to you on the driver’s side of the car could be trying to divert your attention while a buddy steals your purse or wallet from the other side.
• Offers that sound too good to be true, usually are. Articles with fancy brand names can easily be cheap fakes and gold jewelry can be plain brass.
• Always consider the relationship between the trouble a person claims he is in and what he is asking for. People in real need rarely ask for more than what is absolutely necessary.
• Never give large amounts of money to anyone on the road. The most anyone should need is enough to fill a tank with gas.
Kelley also advises that anyone approached by a scammer write down the person’s license plate number, and contact the nearest military police station.