How to Spot Cheap Gas Scams

With the price of gas at record highs, everyone is looking for a bargain. Unfortunately, con artists are also on the lookout for ways to scam people at the gas pump. Here are a few tips to help you spot cheap gas scams.

Instructions

1. Complete your due diligence on any offers for free or cheap gas you find on the Internet. Often you must sign up for and buy other products before you get the cheap gas. Not only is your email going to be swamped with spam, but you may be open to other scammers at that point.

2. Ignore any offers that come via fax or snail mail. Gas scam operators know people are desperate to find lower gas prices.

3. Beware of any company that requires you to give your credit card information or other personal information. Part of the income from gas scams comes from reselling this information to identity thieves.

4. Stay away from any offer that requires you to join a club before you get your cheap gas. Scams of this type typically take your membership money and you never receive the cheap gas.

5. Do the math. If a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is. For example, free or cheap gas offered by car companies may sound like a good deal, but you may get a better deal on the cashback bonus especially if you are buying a gas-guzzling car.

6. Pay your credit card in full each month if you do get a free gas deal from an auto company. Otherwise you are going to be paying interest on that gas and it can quickly become expensive gas again.