Yet another gas station scam

MrMike

Silver
Mar 2, 2003
2,586
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www.azconatechnologies.com
I was filling up my tank the other day and paid via credit card.

The attendant began to process the transaction, and while distracting me with the usual boring small talk, began to wiggle the phone cable coming out of the credit card reader. The reader returned an error, (since he broke the connection wiggling) and he said we had to swipe the card again, blah blah blah.

I was pretty sure he was going to charge me twice but didn't make a big deal since it was a fairly small amount and it was foolish of me not to have cash on hand anyway. Sure enough, I got home and checked my account online and there were two identical transactions for the same amount within 1 minute of each other.

Be on the lookout for this scam, I'm not sure what you could really do about it, I guess obviously using a credit card at a gas station is a bad idea in the first place.
 

Bob K

Silver
Aug 16, 2004
2,520
121
63
Report it

Report it to your credit card company. They will remove the second charge. They did this for us in Cost Rica with a similar problem.

Bob K
 

gatoazul

New member
Aug 24, 2004
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Where did it happen?

Hi MrMike,

Please tell me if it happened in Cabarete's Esso. I'm very close to the owner and he would like to know if it happenned there.

Take care





MrMike said:
I was filling up my tank the other day and paid via credit card.

The attendant began to process the transaction, and while distracting me with the usual boring small talk, began to wiggle the phone cable coming out of the credit card reader. The reader returned an error, (since he broke the connection wiggling) and he said we had to swipe the card again, blah blah blah.

I was pretty sure he was going to charge me twice but didn't make a big deal since it was a fairly small amount and it was foolish of me not to have cash on hand anyway. Sure enough, I got home and checked my account online and there were two identical transactions for the same amount within 1 minute of each other.

Be on the lookout for this scam, I'm not sure what you could really do about it, I guess obviously using a credit card at a gas station is a bad idea in the first place.
 

Mirador

On Permanent Vacation!
Apr 15, 2004
3,563
0
0
An 'honest gas station' is an oxymoron in the DR, but you can try and beat them at their own game. When filling up always insist on the pump used by motoconchos, and most importantly, don't blink.
 

arturo

Bronze
Mar 14, 2002
1,336
97
48
use propane

Mirador said:
An 'honest gas station' is an oxymoron in the DR, but you can try and beat them at their own game. When filling up always insist on the pump used by motoconchos, and most importantly, don't blink.

Switch to propane and be done with it. It?s true about the scams, they are relentless.
 

Snuffy

Bronze
May 3, 2002
1,462
6
0
Well lets discuss this a bit. Because everyone is always getting on here and talking about what a wonderful country this is and blah blah blah. Lets have a detailed discussion about gas station scams. Let people know what it is really like here instead of always painting a rosy picture. So what are the different scams? I know when I get gas I get out and watch him pump. I am paranoid loco. Do they manipulate the handle when pumping? Is the machine rigged? Do they water down the gasoline? What else? If it is a big problem then lets talk more about it and lets talk about ways to prevent it.

And about that propane...talk more about the propane system. I would like to learn more
 

rellosk

Silver
Mar 18, 2002
4,169
58
48
Mr. Mike, why are you so quick to assume this is a scam, rather than a glitch in the system?
 

Robert

Stay Frosty!
Jan 2, 1999
20,574
341
83
dr1.com
In regards to the oxymoron...

I brought a tank of gas at Coastal (Sosua) today.
I think Greg runs the most honest and modern gas station in this country.
Dishonesty never crossed my mind :)

I'm sure Greg will post in this thread about all the known scams.
From not resetting the $$$ meter to mixing dye's to make it appear as premium rather than regular. I know he has fun and games with the credit card equipment, it's supplied and maintained by the local merchant and they are not always "in-tune" with the words "customer service".
 

Chris

Gold
Oct 21, 2002
7,951
28
0
www.caribbetech.com
We travel quite a bit. So, we get to new gas stations where we have not filled up before. Our regular gas stations, Gregg at Coastal being number one, are no problem. But... As we pull in to the new place, I can see the attendant's eyes light up.. Oh Yea! A new gringo! How many times can we take him/her.

So, first -- get out of your car... check the water, check the oil... check the darn break fluid... check the windscreen water... wash the windscreens, check everything. Then, kinda get ready to go. Speak Spanish, speak gas station spanish... See those eyes -- Oh my, a gringo that knows the deal. See the expectation dwindle. Then.. reluctantly, ask for some gas. Preferably 500 pesos worth. Work the relationship, by this time you should know how many children, how many wives and how many gringo's served this month. When the 500 pesos worth of gas has been filled, look at the meter, wrinkle the brow, consider this thing seriously and ask for another 200 pesos worth. Stand right over the attendant. Read the numbers on the pump with all attention. Break out into applause when the 200 pesos is reached. Sing dame gasolina!

Repeat this at the next station. As soon as you have enough gas, move on.

Everything in the DR is relationship based. It takes a day to fill up with gas at a few new gas stations.
 

Hillbilly

Moderator
Jan 1, 2002
18,948
514
113
But you gotta know that the guy at the

Pump doesn't get any of that "extra" income!. He is just a pawn, used by the owner.

So MrMike, please let us know where this deal happened, and very good for you to be so wise as to suspect it in the first place!!...

HB :D:D:D
 

Chris

Gold
Oct 21, 2002
7,951
28
0
www.caribbetech.com
k1w1 said:
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
"dame una gasoliiiina"
lmao perfecto
hahahahaha gracias (beats all the lamo paddy posts most recently!!)

Come-on... I like paddy. He/She makes it good to wake up in the morning... I wake up early and just lately... without no-one being any the wiser, had a personal race... Who could wake up first... Paddy to brighten up my day with lame jokes, or me myself... with my own hangups. Well, Paddy won! Hands-Down! I've been looking for a space to say.. Paddy, You Go!. I like... Ummmm,.. some of your jokes!

Seriously, I hate people ripping me off and I've really sang the stupid gasolina song just to make sure that the attendant and I are all co-pacetic. Or is it co-pathetic...