Have a flat tire? It might be a scam by robbers

NEW YORK

So far they have robbed 16 drivers.

The most recent scam happened on Withers Street and Union Avenue in Williamsburg.

Last Wednesday, at 12:30 in the afternoon, police say two men told a diver his rear tire was low.

When the victim went to inspect one of the men went into his car to rob him.

Eyewitness News is told they ran off before the victim had a chance to digest what had just happened.

Detectives believe at least three men are involved in this flat routine which stretches from Queens, to Brooklyn, to Manhattan's East Side.

On March 11, a female driver was told her tire was flat only to realize her pocketbook had just been snatched.

Officials believe the thieves have been hitting motorists since last summer.

In February, they targeted a driver on Northern Boulevard.

Police report they got the driver to leave his coat in the car so they could steal it while he was distracted.

Sometimes, authorities believe they would spray something onto the victim's coat or even slash the tires to get what they wanted, leaving drivers in New York extra vigilant.

In some cases, the thieves wore construction clothes and carried a can of fix a flat with them.

Authorities report they tried to pretend to be the very picture of help when really all they wanted was to steal from unsuspecting drivers.

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