A Random Guy Tried to Deceive Me, but I Was Way Too Smart for That

There are so many car-related scams going on around the world that it can make it hard for you to know how to shield yourself. Recently, a man online shared his experience when an unknown car tried to make him pull over. Fortunately, the man did not stop and later found out that if he did, he would be a victim of scammers. Let's read the whole story.

Scammers keep getting more and more creative.

Yesterday, the driver of a car next to me started waving frantically in my direction and tried to get in front of me. I ignored him, only for him to be next to me again 2 minutes later, making "wind down the window" motions.

I said, "What's up?" He said, "Don't go on the highway, all your tires are close to flat!" A quick check on the tire pressure display shows me my tires are perfectly inflated. I said, "Sorry, bud, I think you're mistaken."

Window up, we continue. He tries to get in front of me again, we pull away.

But I have a weird feeling about the interaction. I'm not scared, but I think I should have recorded his license plate and taken a picture. Something smelled off.

So I hit up Perplexity and asked it to check for a scam around these lines, and sure enough, there are multiple versions. Turns out, the first is that they get you to pull over and pretend they are a mechanic, then pretend to inflate your tires and try and charge a ridiculous fee.

The second is that they get you out of the car and distract you while a second guy tries and steals from the inside of the car. I am so pissed I didn't take a picture of the guy.

People online shared other similar experiences (not all of them were negative).

• Reminds me of the time I had a Peugeot. I was stopped at an intersection and some guy in an SUV ran into the back of me. On purpose.
  I think he expected me to get out and observe the damage. I drove away. Peugeots had rubber bumpers. @annelovett31 / Threads
• One time I was driving, and I was at a light in the far right lane up front, not turning but going straight. The car behind me (with their blinker on) honked at me, and I figured they were upset about not being able to turn right on red. So I rolled my window down a bit and pointed straight.
  Then I heard a girl yelling, "There’s a lunch box on your car!" I’m like, "A what?!" She yells, "You have a lunch box on the back of your car!!" I told her, "Thank you," but I was like, "I don’t have a lunch box?"
  So I pulled into a shopping center right after the light and got out to check, and sure enough, there was my coworker's lunchbox on the back of my car! He parked next to me at work, so he must have forgotten to put it in his car. @ash.rbz / Threads
• I was driving on the freeway, alone, at night, and the driver behind me was flashing their lights at me. I was confused. I was driving with the flow of traffic and everything was good. They pull into the lane to my left and speed up to meet my driver's window down, waving at me and honking and yelling trying to get my attention.
  It was a man. I was alone at night and got scared. I waved him off and kept trying to ignore him, but he was relentless. I rolled my window down to ask "What?" and he yelled at me "YOUR WALLET IS ON YOUR TRUNK!"
  I’m thinking no way, this is a scam, he’s trying to get me to pull off, and I’ll get taken. But he didn’t have a bad vibe about him. I looked around my car and noticed my wallet/clutch was NOT in my big purse! I know I had it when I left!
  I called my husband and shared where info and kept him on speaker as I pulled off on a busy street. The man just honked and stayed on the freeway. I get off and pull over to find my clutch on my trunk! @jendemarinis / Threads

Tips to keep you safe while driving at night.

• Dim the lights of your instrument panel: This way your eyes are focused solely on the road and not on the dashboard lights.
• Don’t wear glasses with reflective lenses: If you drive at night often, it’s best that you get a prescription for anti-reflective lenses that allow more light to reach your eyes.
• Keep your distance and reduce your speed: Your reflexes can be slower to react properly when the lighting outside isn’t as bright as it is during the day.
• Keep your headlights clean: Dirty headlights can make driving at night even harder, providing decreased lighting.

Driving hides a lot of unexpected dangers, and you should be prepared as much as possible. That's why you should always look for tips and tricks that make your life behind the wheel safer.