Tyre puncture scam: Have you fallen victim to it yet?

When driving along Indian city roads or national highways, one comes across an abundance of tyre repair shops, which are sometimes standalone units, and other times present at petrol pumps. These shops are put in place to help vehicle owners quickly check tyre pressures and get topped up, or repair them, should there be an unfortunate puncture.. However, recent years have seen malpractices by the owners of these shops, alluring the unsuspecting consumer into traps that lead to unnecessary repairs and empty their pockets. 

The buildup of the plot

Many people have reported a similar scene when the scam takes place, albeit the level of the scam varies for some. People state that while they were driving along the road, a fellow good samaritan would inform them of low air pressure in one of their tyres, causing an alarm. These people would also inform them of a tyre repair shop in the near vicinity, often only a few hundred meters away, where the victim could have their tyres inspected. Once the victim would arrive at these repair shops, things would often take a turn for the worse.

The tyre scam unveiled

While inspecting the tyres of the vehicles, these repair personnel would give them the unfortunate news, i.e. a puncture in the tyre. Upon further inspection, the single puncture would lead to numerous more, sometimes exceeding 10 punctures in the same tyre. 

Now, were all these punctures really present, or were they artificially induced by the repair personnel themselves? Many users have reported that the repair guys would try to distract them and direct their attention elsewhere, while in the meantime, they would induce multiple punctures themselves. This was often evident as the punctures would be on the sidewall of the tyre, which is not as easy to damage, unless, as the repair personnel stated, the vehicle was driven along on the flat tyre. With this distressing news, and no other way out, vehicle owners would succumb to the unreasonable demands, and pay exorbitant amounts of money. 

Once the punctures were repaired, the vehicle owners would take a sigh of relief, thinking the worst is behind them, and they are ready to hit the road again. However, to further add to their distress, the repair guy would claim another fault with the tyre, a damaged air valve. This was often represented to the vehicle owner by bending the valve to the side. The act itself is enough to render the valve useless, forcing the vehicle owner to pay up for another valve. 

Often, these repair personnel are accompanied by assistants, who are also accomplices to the devious schemes. Vehicle owners have also reported a second tyre having met the same fate of multiple punctures, often claimed to be work of the accomplice when the owner was distracted. 

How to safeguard yourself from these scams?

Being cautious and taking preventive measures can help you safeguard yourself from these tyre pressure scams. Regularly checking your tyre pressure, especially from a trusted vendor, is one of the first steps you can take. Whenever you are at a tyre repair/inflation shop, always monitor the actions and movement of the personnel. Don’t pay attention to any distractions and stay focused and keep your eyes on your vehicle. In case a puncture is pointed out to you by someone, just inflate the tyre or replace it with a spare and continue driving, in most cases, you might just be low on air.