A Gurgaon man recently shared how a simple flat tyre led to an expensive scam at a local petrol pump tyre shop, costing him ₹8,000, part of what he believes is an ongoing scam targeting unsuspecting drivers.
Pranay Kapoor shared the post with the caption, “Got scammed at a petrol pump tyre shop.” According to the video, the man was driving when he received a notification about low tyre pressure. After checking, he confirmed a flat tyre and stopped at a nearby petrol station to get help.
A staff member at the petrol pump tyre shop inspected the tyre and said it has to be removed for proper checking.
The scam
After lifting the car with a jack, the tyre shop worker sprayed soapy water over the tyre and brushed it across the surface. He then checked the tyre and pointed out a screw stuck in it. He claimed there were four separate punctures, showing bubbles forming around different areas. The worker said each would require a mushroom patch and quoted ₹300 per patch, bringing the total to ₹1,200 for four patches.
Still suspicious, Kapoor later went to a proper repair shop. There, a technician informed him that only one puncture was genuine, and the rest were likely made on purpose by the petrol pump tyre shop worker. The technician even showed him a thorn-like tool, commonly used in such scams to create fake punctures while pretending to check the tyre.
The tyre was badly damaged and had to be replaced entirely, costing Kapoor ₹8,000. “Don’t make the expensive mistake I made. Share this video with your friends and family to warn them,” he said in the video.
Check out the video here:
The video quickly drew attention online, with many viewers expressing shock at how easily such scams can happen. Several users shared similar experiences, saying they too had faced suspicious tyre repairs at petrol pumps.
One of the users, Sukrant Luthra, commented, “Wish I could have seen this video yesterday happened the same with me, ended up paying them.”
A second user, Sandeep Pradhan, commented, “Learnt it the hard way like you. Now I always sit on top of them and ask them to remove anything from their fingers before they start the process.”
Another user, Ruchir Mathur, commented, “Oh god!! I realised now that I got scammed twice!”
Other users praised Kapoor for speaking up, calling it a much-needed warning for car owners.