Fuel scams in Africa - Advice for overlanders
Overlanders spend a huge amount of money on fuel and fill up often so it’s no wonder that filling stations across Southern and Eastern Africa are sources of scams and dupes. This short article covers the different types of scams and how to protect yourself against them.
Scammers exploit vulnerabilities to separate you from your cash, and the main vulnerability is….you. Virtually all filling stations in Southern and Eastern Africa are attended stations and you are not allowed to pump your own fuel. This means you will always be dealing with an attendant and will never pump the fuel yourself, but do not become complacent. The attendants will rarely make more than $5 per day so the incentive to skim a few dollars is obvious.
Scammers exploit vulnerabilities to separate you from your cash, and the main vulnerability is….you. Virtually all filling stations in Southern and Eastern Africa are attended stations and you are not allowed to pump your own fuel. This means you will always be dealing with an attendant and will never pump the fuel yourself, but do not become complacent. The attendants will rarely make more than $5 per day so the incentive to skim a few dollars is obvious.
Scam category: Driver distraction
Variant 1: Not starting at zero
This basis of this scam is to dispense a few litres of fuel before your fill up (into a jerry can / motorbike / generator / bucket), and not return the nozzle to the pump properly. This way when you pull up, they start filling but the meter starts at 5 litres (or so). It’s usually not a lot of fuel and is intended to be easy to miss. The attendant would then sell the fuel to a third part later. Sometimes this will involve a collaborator distracting you at the crucial moment when filling is about to commence. An example might be that a guy comes over and tells you your car is leaking oil and points under the front of your vehicle, you look and it turns out to be the air conditioning condenser dripping which is perfectly normal, they apologise and when you return to the filler, the attendant has already started pumping.
Variant 2: ‘Resetting’ the meter
Similar to the above, the attendant stops your fill up prematurely and pretends to return the pump to the nozzle claiming they thought you said 10 litres! They then apologize and fill up again but at the end present two receipts, one for the 10L and the other for the rest. The attendant pretends the meter reset and so it’s two transactions. Usually the first receipt will be timestamped from before you arrived. In reality the meter never reset and they have sold the 10L to a previous customer and kept their receipt. If the attendant pulls this trick watch the meter carefully as they ‘reset’ it. Knowing your expected fill up (solution 5 below) helps provide proof if the attendant is more aggressive. Often the attendant will attempt to anchor this ‘honest mistake’ at the beginning by suggesting a small fill up (e.g ten litres). If an attendant does this, be vigilant.
Variant 3: Siphoning/skimming
This variant is the simplest, while filling up your vehicle you are distracted or not paying attention, during which a number of litres goes into another vehicle of container. If you stay with your vehicle you are unlikely to be subject to this scam which is more likely to occur at very busy stations.
This basis of this scam is to dispense a few litres of fuel before your fill up (into a jerry can / motorbike / generator / bucket), and not return the nozzle to the pump properly. This way when you pull up, they start filling but the meter starts at 5 litres (or so). It’s usually not a lot of fuel and is intended to be easy to miss. The attendant would then sell the fuel to a third part later. Sometimes this will involve a collaborator distracting you at the crucial moment when filling is about to commence. An example might be that a guy comes over and tells you your car is leaking oil and points under the front of your vehicle, you look and it turns out to be the air conditioning condenser dripping which is perfectly normal, they apologise and when you return to the filler, the attendant has already started pumping.
Variant 2: ‘Resetting’ the meter
Similar to the above, the attendant stops your fill up prematurely and pretends to return the pump to the nozzle claiming they thought you said 10 litres! They then apologize and fill up again but at the end present two receipts, one for the 10L and the other for the rest. The attendant pretends the meter reset and so it’s two transactions. Usually the first receipt will be timestamped from before you arrived. In reality the meter never reset and they have sold the 10L to a previous customer and kept their receipt. If the attendant pulls this trick watch the meter carefully as they ‘reset’ it. Knowing your expected fill up (solution 5 below) helps provide proof if the attendant is more aggressive. Often the attendant will attempt to anchor this ‘honest mistake’ at the beginning by suggesting a small fill up (e.g ten litres). If an attendant does this, be vigilant.
Variant 3: Siphoning/skimming
This variant is the simplest, while filling up your vehicle you are distracted or not paying attention, during which a number of litres goes into another vehicle of container. If you stay with your vehicle you are unlikely to be subject to this scam which is more likely to occur at very busy stations.
Solutions - How to avoid these scams
- Ensure you have a locking fuel filler cap, you want to ensure that the attendant cannot start (or claim to start) filling up without you getting out and unlocking it. This enables you be present at the pump. Agree on how much fuel you want (e.g. a full tank) and THEN unlock the filer.
- Check that the correct fuel (petrol/diesel) is going in and that the pump resets to zero before filing commences. If it doesn’t, stop the attendant and ask them to restart it. If you are there watching the pump they will usually abandon their scam. This is often when another attendant/collaborator often comes to distract you.
- Stay and watch the attendant fill the tank and don’t take your eyes off the meter even if people come and talk to you. You can talk to them after if you wish.
- Once filling ends, make a mental note of the number of litres and the price. Confirm with the attendant and then get out your cash. Count it twice in front of the attendant, then hand it to them and watch them count it, confirm all is okay before they go off to get change or a receipt.
- An additional step that makes a lot of sense for large tanks (100L or more) is to reset the trip every time you fill up with a full tank and work out your expected fuel economy each time before you fill up. Just before you pull up, work out how much fuel you expect to fill up with (e.g. if the trip reads 250km and your economy is 5km/litre then you are expecting to fill up with about 50 litres. If it suddenly becomes 70L
Scam category: Fuel Quality
Variant 1: Adding Kerosene to Diesel
Unfortunately the only real way to avoid this is to restrict your fill-ups to reputable fuel stations. If you have an older Diesel (say pre 1990) with no electronics then a bit of kerosene is unlikely to cause any problems. Modern Diesel engines that need low sulphur diesel (ones with exhaust gas treatment systems) are more vulnerable.
Variant 2: Dirty fuel
Diesel tanks can be full of rust, dirt, and water especially when the station is nearly empty. In large automotive stores in Southern Africa it is possible to buy pre-filters which are essentially a funnel with a filter in the bottom (not a mesh but a proper filter). In any case, it’s advisable to always carry a spare fuel filter just in case. If you are worried you can ask to fill a 5L PET bottle with diesel first, inspect the quality visually, then fill up. While dirty fuel used to be common (and might still be common in North and West Africa) in Southern and Eastern Africa this is unlikely to be cause for concern. In Zimbabwe the stations run out of fuel so frequently that getting the last few litres isn't a concern in our exprience.
Tips
In Southern and Eastern Africa the fuel quality is usually good and consistently improving. Low sulphur diesel is widely available. Remote and rural stations present the highest risk so forward planning can help you avoid these. This article should re-assure potential overlanders that, provided you are prepared and observent, trips are likely to be trouble free when it comes to filling up.
N.B. Low sulphur diesel and Diesel Pest
Note that low sulphur diesel will not store or as long as high sulphur diesel. Whereas it used to be possible to store diesel for 1-2 years, low sulphur diesel will store for less than 6 months before developing diesel pest.
Unfortunately the only real way to avoid this is to restrict your fill-ups to reputable fuel stations. If you have an older Diesel (say pre 1990) with no electronics then a bit of kerosene is unlikely to cause any problems. Modern Diesel engines that need low sulphur diesel (ones with exhaust gas treatment systems) are more vulnerable.
Variant 2: Dirty fuel
Diesel tanks can be full of rust, dirt, and water especially when the station is nearly empty. In large automotive stores in Southern Africa it is possible to buy pre-filters which are essentially a funnel with a filter in the bottom (not a mesh but a proper filter). In any case, it’s advisable to always carry a spare fuel filter just in case. If you are worried you can ask to fill a 5L PET bottle with diesel first, inspect the quality visually, then fill up. While dirty fuel used to be common (and might still be common in North and West Africa) in Southern and Eastern Africa this is unlikely to be cause for concern. In Zimbabwe the stations run out of fuel so frequently that getting the last few litres isn't a concern in our exprience.
Tips
In Southern and Eastern Africa the fuel quality is usually good and consistently improving. Low sulphur diesel is widely available. Remote and rural stations present the highest risk so forward planning can help you avoid these. This article should re-assure potential overlanders that, provided you are prepared and observent, trips are likely to be trouble free when it comes to filling up.
N.B. Low sulphur diesel and Diesel Pest
Note that low sulphur diesel will not store or as long as high sulphur diesel. Whereas it used to be possible to store diesel for 1-2 years, low sulphur diesel will store for less than 6 months before developing diesel pest.