Less than a week after an 86-year-old woman shared her story of being targeted in a “wobbly wheel” scheme to CTV, the Winnipeg Police Service is advising drivers it has received multiple reports of similar incidents.
Police said it's aware of six such incidents taking place between March 9 and March 25, involving female drivers being flagged down by a man.
Once the drivers are pulled over, the man who flagged them says he’s a mechanic and that there’s an urgent mechanical problem with the vehicle, before offering to help, for a price.
Police said some of the drivers who reported this experience later had their vehicle looked over elsewhere, only to learn there was no issue.
Of whoever is doing this, Const. Tammy Skrabek said at this point, police “don’t really know what his intentions are,” but they want drivers to be cautious.
Skrabek reminds drivers that they’re “not obligated to stop” if flagged by another civilian driver, and that if the environment doesn’t feel safe, like on a dark street or in an alley, “don’t pull over and don’t get out of your car.”
Instead, Skrabek suggests waiting until you can stop somewhere safer where there are people around to see you, such as a gas station, and contact professionals for help with any mechanical issue.
