Today, it is difficult to come across kind souls when you’re in dire situations. How often do you see anyone approaching someone in trouble to offer help?
This was why a Facebook user named Cassius was touched when a kind man had pointed out that something was wrong with his car.
Cassius was driving around KLPAC running some errands on July 14, 2017 when a motorcyclist named Jack, who turned out to be a mechanic from Perodua, noticed smoke coming out of his car tyre!
“This dude stopped next to my car and began speaking to me in Tamil.”
“Upon learning that I was unable to comprehend a word he was saying, he reiterated in Malay; ‘Boss, your tyre has got smoke coming out of it’.”
“He got off his motorcycle and inspected the tyre with me. It looked fine, but then I realised there were traces of oil on the tyre.”
Jack warned Cassius that if he continued driving with a leaking brake oil, he could possibly end up in an accident. At first, Cassius thought Jack may have been a robber, but the leaking oil looked like a bigger problem at that moment.
They stopped by the side of the road and Jack used a car jack so that he could have a closer look at the brakes.
He removed the tyre and found out that the brake pad was faulty!
Jack told him,
“Boss, your piston in this brake pad broke. Sometimes, we run over potholes and that can cause this problem.”
That was when Cassius remembered wondering why his brakes felt weird, but thought of getting it checked out later when he sends his car for servicing.
Jack was nice enough to help him out, though. Cassius’ post read,
“He then said he could quickly get over to a mechanic nearby and get a new brake pad for me.”
“I asked him how much a brand new brake pad would cost and he said if it is a recon version, it’ll be cheaper. The original Perodua ones are slightly more expensive.”
At that time, Cassius did not have enough cash on hand, but Jack told him he didn’t mind paying for the parts first and have him repay the money later.
And so, Cassius decided to go on with the arrangement.
“I agreed on the original brake pad and fifteen minutes later he arrived on his motorcycle and fixed the pad for me. He had also gotten brake oil as well.”
“It cost me RM350, but I decided to give him an extra RM50 because had he not pointed out, I would have ended up in an accident on the highway en-route to Seremban.”
He just could not believe his luck when he came across a seemingly nice guy like Jack and decided to share his story on Facebook.
However, people soon commented on his post and pointed out that he had been scammed!
A quick Google search shows that brake oil typically isn’t as expensive as what Jack charged Cassius!
Some netizens shared that they too almost shared the same fate, and that they were familiar with such a scam.
A few of Cassius’ friends even tried calling the number he added to his Facebook post to see if someone would pick up. However, it doesn’t seem like the number works!
Cassius updated his post to inform everyone that he reported the matter to the police. However, nothing could be done about it.
“I’ve lodged a police report but the investigative officer said he can do nothing because he doesn’t have this guy’s details (IC number).”
Cassius shared the pictures with the police but the cops said,
“How to find (him)? What can we do, bro? You tell me. Next time, be careful.”
In the end, Cassius just figured Jack was probably desperate for money.
Well, it looks like the moral of the story is that it is better to get your car fixed by trusted mechanics rather than trusting strangers. Always have your mechanic’s number in your phone to avoid being scammed by people like Jack.
Be careful out there, guys!
Also read: Thief Kantoi After Owner Sees Him Bragging About His Stolen Bike on WhatsApp Group