Good Samaritan scam, repair con, it's the same scheme. A con artist sees a truck parked in a truckstop, jots down the truck number and company information, calls the company with bogus claims of badly needed repairs and requests a Comchek. We've heard these stories before, and we're likely to hear them again.

Land Line (June 2001) reported a con man's attempt to rip off OOIDA member Edgar Moorman, who outsmarted the crook by checking with his driver before sending any money.

Unfortunately, OOIDA member Bob Stock wasn't so lucky. He fell victim to a roadside repair scam in Indianapolis that cost him $700 in electronic wire transfers, according to the Indianapolis Star. A so-called mechanic called Stock and reported his truck's brakes had failed and the driver had flattened two tires. Before wiring the money, Stock checked the GPS, which showed the truck was on the south side of Indianapolis, where the bogus mechanic said the repairs were needed. Two different men cashed the checks at truckstops.

"It was my own dumb fault," Stock told the newspaper. "I should have spoken to my driver.