Mother reveals how her son fell victim to the ongoing Houston roadway scam

Pickup trucks make up a large part of the traffic on Houston roads, Monday, Jan. 14, 2008, in Houston. Everything's big in Texas _ big pickup trucks, big SUVs and the state's big carbon footprint, too. Texans' fondness for large, manly vehicles has helped make the Lone Star State the biggest producer of greenhouse gases in the nation. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)

Earlier this week, a woman’s post on social media brought attention to a chilling problem on Houston’s streets, which authorities now say may be the work of a sophisticated crime ring.

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Loreal San Miguel says the driver of a white vehicle with paper plates tried to pull her over twice in the Westheimer area, insisting something was wrong with her tire. San Miguel’s car was fine, and she quickly realized a scammer was at work.

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After she shared a photo of the car on Twitter, people from all over Houston began to come forward with their own stories, saying they were also approached by this vehicle or another trying the same scam.

Now the mother of a victim who did pull over is sharing her son’s story, providing new insight into how the scam works.

Bridget Adam says her son, who is in his 20s, was driving on I-45 when a vehicle flagged him down, saying his brakes were sparking. Adams said the individual “nearly ran him off the road.”

The scammer told the young man his car was too dangerous to drive, and he needed to pull over to a gas station. Once there, the suspect went into the store and bought supplies to “fix” the vehicle.

“My son said it looked like a piece of junk pipe, maybe plumbing, and (the suspects) just stood around at the back of the car and my son said he needed to pay him for parts and labor,” Adam told KHOU. “It ended up being 500 dollars cash, because that’s all my son could get out of the ATM.”

Her son also paid $200 for the items bought inside the store.

Surveillance video from the gas station provided police with a view of the incident.

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Houston police say the “Wobbly Wheel Scam,” which can focus on other broken car parts, has been happening around the city for several years. The goal of the scammers is to get a vulnerable person to pull over so they can rob them.

Drivers are warned not to pull over for any vehicle that is not law enforcement. If you do suspect that something is wrong with your vehicle, pull over to a well-lit area and call for assistance.

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