With the recent spike in gasoline prices, some Quebec motorists claim to have been victims of swindlers who syphoned the fuel from their receptacles rather than pay the high price at the pump. 

Julien Paris-Roy had an unwelcome visitor from Sunday night to Monday morning, who came to rob him of the fuel he had in his vehicle just after he paid it for 110 dollars. 

He first considered that he could have broken his tank by striking a thick block of ice. He was about to make an appointment with his mechanic to get the repairs done when he decided to look for himself.  

« While looking under the vehicle more closely, I noticed a round, very tiny hole in the tank », he explains. 

Following that, his mechanic informed him that he had most likely been the victim of a power outage. After verification, everything was confirmed. 

 « The thief even took the time to put in a small extra hole so that the air could circulate better and clear the reservoir », says M. Paris-Roy. 

 The vehicle is unusable, and the repair costs are excessive. 

« Everything for $100 in gasoline », says Julien. 

During the first weekend in March, some of the company’s employees complained that one of the company’s trucks had run out of fuel. M. Boisvert was astounded to discover a hole in the reservoir of the vehicle in issue. This was done with the help of a drill to allow the criminals to syphon out the gasoline. 

 For example, some criminals take advantage of the surgical mask port to commit fraud without paying and without being identified, or they hide their license plate. 

 Some go so far as to feign payment at the pump by withdrawing their bank card, giving them the opportunity to prove their innocence by claiming that the transaction was completed.