Are you familiar with the gold ring scam aimed at individuals at gas pumps? Recently, a man, whom we’ll refer to as Sam, recounted his encounter with the scam to alert others about it.
According to Sam’s account, he was refueling his vehicle at a gas station in Utah when a Mazda with California license plates and three people inside parked next to him. The driver, who had a foreign accent, politely requested his assistance.
Starting Off With a Little Monetary Assistance
Sam noticed the other two men were smartly dressed, and none of them seemed threatening, so he decided to hear them out.
The driver explained that they were visiting from Dubai and needed gas for their trip through the U.S. As per his story, the man’s credit card had suddenly stopped functioning, and the other occupants did not have credit cards or money.
As such, he asked Sam for help to get gas. Since the story sounded plausible, Sam handed him a twenty-dollar bill to assist them. But it didn’t end there.
A Gold Ring for More Cash
After handing them the money, Sam assumed it was over, but it wasn’t. Though the driver was pleased with the money, he had another offer for Sam. Unbelievably, he offered to exchange his gold ring for another “$150 or $200 more.”
Sam told them that he didn’t have that amount on hand. He felt terrible, so he handed them another twenty dollars and attempted to return the gold ring.
A Deposit To Meet Again
To his surprise, the group wouldn’t take the ring back. They said it was a deposit for the money that they owed Sam.
As per the driver, once they got their “affairs in order,” they’d reach out to Sam to pay him back in full and retrieve the gold ring.
Supposedly Expensive Gold Ring
After this statement, the group applied pressure, maintaining Sam should hold onto the ring. They claimed the ring was eighteen carats. So, if they did not return and pay back the paltry sum he gave them, Sam could sell the ring for a profit.
Sam declined this offer and told them to keep the money he had given them. Ultimately, the group took the ring back, and Sam wished them luck.
On his way home, Sam couldn’t stop thinking about the weird experience and asked the internet if someone else had heard of something like this happening. The replies soon made him realize that he had fallen victim to a scam.
More Rampant Than Some Realize
A commenter pointed out that the ring is likely a scam based on Sam’s story. Since the same happened to their friend in Arizona, the gold was not real.
Another shared their own experience in a grocery store parking lot. A man in a fancy SUV signaled them over and offered to trade a gold ring in exchange for $100.
Yet another user expressed anger that her boyfriend actually exchanged $100 for a ring at a gas station in very similar circumstances.
No surprise that in all of the above scenarios, the ring is worthless. Many users pointed out that they had experienced similar scams all over the U.S. and as far as Europe.
While Sam managed to avoid being scammed for a lot more money, he did hand over $40,whicht he will never see again.
Life Imitating Art
Finally, users noted that Sam’s experience is almost beat-for-beat similar to a ring scam in the hilarious horror comedy Zombieland, in which two sisters similarly scam a gas station employee.
Be careful out there! If the offer seems too good to be true, it usually is.
This thread inspired this post.
Featured Image Credit: vadimphoto1@gmail.com /Depositphotos.com.
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