'Home Theater' sales scam, Flying J Truck stop, Blacksburg, SC 'White Van Scam'

I knew this was a scam, but until yesterday, didn't realize this type of scam had an unofficial name, 'White Van Scam', due to many of these transactions being conducted from 'white vans'.

These scams are conducted by people who claim they have 'excess' electronic products they will sell you at a serious discount.    
In this video, this man claims he is an employee, making a delivery for his employer, and has excess, high end home theater systems  he can sell for a fraction of the retail price.   He showed me three boxed systems with no brand name that seemed familiar.      I really didn't intend to interact with him, but remembered my dash cams were running, so why not give this scumbag some exposure?

When I googled for possible info on this scam, I found this scam was very common in the Charlotte area.
The products are very cheaply made in China.   This man claims his system is made in Germany.
The electronic products they pitch may function somewhat for a short time, but do not have the specs they claim, and are of very inferior quality.   It's junk you could buy for 10% of the price they will eventually settle for, and not worth it at any price.   

Just remember, it's not really illegal to get some gullible person to pay too much for a piece of crap electronics.   It is illegal to misrepresent what you are selling, but generally hard to prove, or prosecute.   The police are generally not interested.   Like the scammer, they just assume you are stupid.

I've seen various electronic products sold this way in truck stop parking lots, as well as kitchen ware, jewelry, and there used to be large, travelling groups who sold knock off perfumes.

Never buy anything from  roaming vendors in truck stop parking lots!  

The salesman was in a dark blue/black Dodge Durango with NC tags.

Use your brain!   Would somebody working in a legit business sell you a 'high end' system at 10% of the retail price?

The story is BS, but people in that business would know the real value of the item, and have access to people who would be happy to get a deal.  They don't need to travel the roads to find a customer, unless they hope to find a very stupid one!

Video from an Ausdom A261 dash cam provided by gearbest.com

'Disabled Veteran' Con man, Loves truck stop, Fairplay, SC

Truck stops in the US aren't quite as bad as they used to be, but you'll still  run into various con artists, panhandlers, and prostitutes.

Over the years I've noticed several groups of con men who 'work' truck stops, and will see them in different truck stops,  throughonut a region, and sometimes at different truck stop thousands of miles apart.

The 'disabled vetereran' in this video is working in tandem with a second black con artist I have seen at a different truck stop in Missouri.  (He does not show up  in this video, but was off camera, working another area of the parking lot.)

Other gangs of con men who work truck stops are often larger, and may include up to 4-5 members, working in unison.  One or two will act as 'ropers', to steer in victims, and also as watchmen for police or security.    

One of the more common cons you see in truck stops is '3 card monte', where you are enticed to join in a 'card game' set up behind some parked trucks.   The game is rigged, all people playing the game are members of the gang, and you will lose, and/or get beaten up and robbed.

I've also seen a group sales of cheap imported knock off kitchen ware.   I'm serious, hard to see the profit, but they'll walk around the truck stops, pretending to be a fellow trucker who 'just happens to have ONE case of brand name cookware' left over from a load they just delivered, and for $40, it can be yours!
Usually this is a 'corning ware' type of product, but the box they will show you is not name brand, and you can probably buy the same thing at a discount store for $10.    Hard to imagine it is profitable, but truckers are pretty gullible.      You'll also see them doing this with cheap power tools.      

Amazingly, if they sell the 'one case',  you can watch them go to a parked van in the truck stop, and emerge with another 'just one case', and continue trolling for dummies.

'Stranded motorist' or other  person in distress is another con you see at truck stops.   

A few years ago, I saw the same, 20-ish, somewhat attractive white female at truck stops in 3 states in the Northeast.

She would be crying loudly, and if you talked to her, she claimed her boyfriend had thrown her out of the car, 200 miles from home, and she had no money to get home.

Stupid truckers would give her money.

Charity is nice, save it for people who need and deserve it.

I saw the same lady, with the same story, 4 different times, in truck stops in a 300 mile radius.

Either she is the stupidest woman on earth, who keeps getting into the car with the boyfriend who will throw her out of the car, far from home, or she is a thief.      I'll bet on her being a thief.


Another scam you see is 'out of gas, just need a few dollars to get home'.

One youngish white man  drove up to my parked truck and made the pitch 'I'm a college student in XXXX, and need a few dollars to get back to school'.      He showed me a student ID for a college that was one hundred miles away....and EXPIRED 3 years before.

I told him to XXXX off, and watched how he drove around the truck stop, in his car that was running 'on fumes', and stopped at each truck, parked with the car running, walked up to the driver and asked for money.    


Another time near Evansville, IN, a young white lady was working a small truck stop.  I happened to be parked near the building, and the gas pumps.

She gave me the '40 miles from home and no money for gas' story.

I told her no, then watched he walk up to trucks,  and collecting a dollar or two from multiple drivers.    Eventually she walked back to the truck stop building with a handful of dollar bills, and a big smile.

She got into a car parked in the parking lot, and magically a man popped up in the passenger seat.   (He had been sleeping, slumped down, or hiding)

I then watched as she drove up to  a gas pump, SWIPED A CREDIT CARD, and put gas in the car.    

Not over yet!

After putting gas in the car, they drove up to the fast food drive through window, and ordered food.


Don't be stupid.   If you want to help somebody in need, don't hand them cash.    Pay for a few dollars of gas, or pay for a meal.   

Most truck stops have 'no soliciting' policies.   Complain to the truck stop workers when you are bothered by pan handlers or con men in the parking lot.    Some won't do anything.
A few will.

When this kind of activity is tolerated, other criminal activity is also.  

One time at the nasty Pilot truck stop in Columbus, OH, I could hardly get to the door of the truck stop to pay for my fuel without running a gauntlet of panhandlers.
Amazingly, the truck stop manager and an employee were outside, smoking, 15 feet away.
You also had two ugly, crack 'ladies' working the parking lot, in broad daylight.

I don't buy fuel there any more.

Future organ donors Atlanta, GA I-285

Drunk, sleepy, texting, or just a bad driver?

Tailgating truck, I-75 Kentucky

Watch this impatient trucker tailgate, then attempt to pass the slower truck on the right, but a much slower car is in that lane!
Do you know what?   If he wasn't tailgating the other big truck, he would have seen the slow car.
Drivers like this one can kill.  This behavior is bad enough when cars do it.  No excuse for a 'professional' driver to drive like this.