Independence Township community members reporting potential scam in the area

INDEPENDENCE TWP. ― Neighbors are saying a potential scam could be occurring in communities in the rural parts of Beaver County.

According to community members, a man has been seen in the areas around Independence Township attempting to solicit cash from good Samaritans who stop to help him as he is stopped along the road. On social media, witnesses have described the man as driving a black SUV along routes 18, 30 and 151. When someone stops to help the man, he tells them he is a sheik from Dubai who has run out of gas.

"I have heard the same story from three different people who have had interactions with him," a representative for the Independence Volunteer Fire Department wrote on their public Facebook page. "He states he needs money for gas and his credit card won’t work. He insists on cash. In all three cases the gentleman handed them a ring, in one case he actually threw it in their car. He will not accept it if you offer to go get him a couple gallons."

The fire department had not received any reports of residents losing money to the scam as of Wednesday morning, but people who have claimed to interact with the man have described him as being "pushy" about his demands.

Neither the Hopewell Township Police Department nor the Pennsylvania State Police announced any investigations into the incidents as of Wednesday morning.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Independence Township community members reporting potential scam in the area