Inflation also affects criminals. Faced with rising fuel prices, the scammers have also had to redouble their efforts to be able to recover gasoline at a lower cost. This is how a new technique was developed, as the gendarmes of Loiret could see.

Thanks to a new scam, three men were able to steal 1,000 liters of gasoline in just a few minutes from a service station in a supermarket in the town of Puiseaux on August 22, 2022, reports Capital. For this, they only needed several dozen jerry cans and a 5 euro note.

Their trick is simple: on a first pump of the aging station, they made a purchase of 5 euros. So far nothing abnormal except that the thieves were informed and they knew that this action could make it possible to operate the neighboring pump for free at the same time.

Thanks to this, they were able to save themselves with dozens of filled jerrycans, before heading to another gas station to repeat the same stratagem. All this fuel was truly black gold for them since they were then able to resell it at a very attractive price that would make all motorists dream, 1 euro per litre.

Fortunately, the criminals were later caught by the gendarmes. Following this arrest, the robbers were given a 6-month suspended prison sentence. When questioned by law enforcement, the three scammers said they had become aware of this Internet scam scheme.