Photograph by ,a href=”http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1429664″>Chris Whippet
A conman posing as a driver with a broken down car on the M4 has been arrested after targeting Good Samaritans in an elaborate fraud.
In the con, the man stands on slip roads between junctions 15 and 19 near Bristol with a green fuel can and tells passing motorists that he is in need of some petrol and asks for a lift to the nearest service station. On the way there, the man reportedly received a call which he says is from the Highways Agency or police telling him it will cost him £800 for his car to be moved. The Good Samaritans that pick the man up have also tended to offer to help towards the cost, but after dropping him off at the service station and handing over some money, they never hear from him again.
The same story has been reported at least eight times in the last month.
A 44-year-old man from Bristol has been arrested in connection with the incidents and is currently on bail pending further enquiries. The police have asked for anyone who believes they may have been targeted in this way to come forward.
