Marriott-Slaterville residents scammed Victims gave money to men claiming to need gas By MATTHEW FLITTON_ Standard-Examiner staff MARRIOTT-SLATERVILLE - Your wife has your checkbook and credit cards. You just noticed that you're running low on gas and you're not going to make it home. Sounds plausible, doesn't it? Dale Thompsen thought so when he was approached in his yard three weeks ago by a man with that very story. The man said he owned a roofing business and was working on a home in the area but needed some money to get back to his home near 9000 South in Sandy. "He told me if I'd loan him the money, he'd pay me back the next day," Thompsen said. The good Samaritan offered the man $5 but was told the truck was a gas hog and that wouldn't get him to Bountiful. Thompsen gave him $15. He hasn't seen the man since. "This guy wasn't in trouble. It was just a scam. As I thought about it since, he was just a guy out getting money in a different type of way," he said. According to Weber County Sheriff's Deputy Mark Lowther, he's not alone. At least two other residents have been approached by a person claiming to be from the community. In this case the man tells people his sister just called him. She's broken down near Evanston, Wyo., or up by Causey. He's got to go, but he doesn't have any money. He mentions names of people who can vouch for him, but the victims don't recognize any names. "They say these young guys are just as convincing as hell. Your heart almost bleeds for them," said Keith Butler, mayor of Marriott-Sla-terville. Lowther said the man trying to help his sister is a young white man with long hair. He drives a dark, compact car. Thompsen said his distress story came from a good-looking man in his 30s, about 5 feet 10 inches tall with light-brown hair driving a dark truck. If approached by someone who matches these descriptions, Lowther said residents should not give them any money but call the police. There are ways to help those in real need. Law enforcement agencies and the Red Cross help stranded travelers as part of their missions. "Unless you know them, I wouldn't give them money or let them into your home, because chances are, it's a scam," he said. Butler said Marriott-Slaterville may be particularly susceptible to these types of scams because of its proximity to Interstate 15 and Highway 89. While Thompsen said he's disappointed, he hasn't lost all faith in humanity. "It won't stop me from helping somebody else. It just makes you feel bad that somebody would do that," he said. Reporter Matthew Flitton can be reached at 625-4233 or mflitton@standard.net.