Las Vegas NowGas Card Scam Appears as Prices Jump

Gas Card Scam Appears as Prices Jump

(May 24) -- Gas prices just keep ringing up records and experts predict there won't be any real relief at least until the end of the summer.  Another gas record was broken here in Las Vegas on Friday. The average price of a gallon is now at $2.27. That's up 14-cents from one month ago, putting us above the national average by 17-cents.

High gas prices do more than cost you more to fill up, they also force up the price of everything from groceries to clothing. Many businesses are being charged gas surcharges to deliver their products. Eventually, that cost will be passed on to consumers. Companies say they are well over their gas budgets for the year already.

Unfortunately, the Automobile Association of America says we may actually see gas prices jump again before the Memorial Day weekend.

And with gas prices rising, most of us are looking for ways to save money when we fill up at the pump. And that's exactly when unscrupulous scammers like to step in.

Here's how the gas card scam works: Consumers receive a call from a company claiming to offer a discount gas card. You're told you can buy the card for a small one-time fee of $3.95. In return, you supposedly receive a discount anywhere from $5 to $10 every time you fill up. 

Not only is there no such card, the scam's real purpose is to get your credit card number and other personal information -- making you the target of identity theft or fraud.

Robert Griffy, with the Nevada Attorney General's office said, "We see that all the time. They get an unsolicited call or unsolicited mail and it asks for their name their phone number and then when they contact the person, they start asking for bank information. They would be asking for you to pay "X" amount of money up front and then go into getting your bank information and possibly parlay that into identity fraud, or just accessing your account."

As with many telemarketing scams, this one targets fixed-income seniors and low-income families. Investigators in New Mexico say potential victims were told over the phone that the company offering the discount gas card is called "Continity Energy Gen, Inc." located in Las Vegas.

Eyewitness News was told there is no licensed company by that name operating in the city or county. At this time, the Nevada Attorney General's office say it is not aware of any victims of the discount gas card scam here. The scam originated in New Mexico, but the company behind this con may be operating in the Las Vegas area.

If you're contacted by any company offering a gas discount card the Nevada Attorney General's office wants to hear from you. You can call the Attorney General's office locally at 486-3420 .