TORONTO - When Judy Creighton went to buy some flowers for a friend recently, she discovered her credit card had been frozen. Someone, it seems, had stolen the number in order to procure some big-ticket items.
Not stereo systems or big-screen TVs, mind you. Tanks of gasoline.
"I said, 'Is this quite common?' the Hamilton freelance writer said as she recalled her conversation with the bank that issued her card.
"They said, 'Yeah, it is now. People are desperate to have gas in their cars."'
With the price of gasoline hitting staggering highs across Canada in recent weeks, it's becoming apparent some people will go to often creative lengths to avoid having to pay at the pumps.
At the Canadian Automobile Association, some members have driven themselves dry to take advantage of the certain services, such as free towing and $5 worth of free gas for stranded motorists in some regions, said CAA spokeswoman Leanne Maidment.
"We do know that there have been some examples across the country of that happening," Maidment said.
"There are a few cases where we know it's been deliberate."
Although most motorists don't purposely run out of gas, many now seem to be running on fumes a little longer, tempting fate in order to avoid the cost of a fill-up, she added.
"Whereas maybe they were always previously filling up at half a tank, now they're waiting until the red line, hoping that every time they drive past that gas station, prices are going to be a little lower tomorrow," Maidment said.
Needless to say, that has meant more work for the CAA, which has begun providing members with tips to avoid similar situations down the road, she added.
"We're saying to people, 'Do what you would normally do despite the price of gas these days.' The prices of gas are what they are, and we don't want to see people stranded."
Police have also seen a spike in tried-and-true, old-fashioned methods of finding free gas -- namely, stealing it directly from the pumps or siphoning it from parked cars, said Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Cam Woolley.
Although police services don't track individual types of thefts, Woolley said he has plenty of anecdotal evidence of a recent spike in gas thefts.
"A friend of mine who runs a gas station said his dollar value of stolen gasoline has effectively doubled in the past few months," said Woolley.
"There's more drive-away type situations from the gas stations."
A lot of people don't realize that when they steal from gas stations, that money comes out of an individual's pocket, said Woolley.
"A lot of people think if they don't pay for gas it's not really a crime or they're just protesting to the oil companies, but pretty much every gas station holds someone accountable at the gas station itself," he said.
"Usually there's some person there that gets it taken out of their pay. Even great big gas stations on the highway, there's somebody that's responsible for it."
Some people are even using furnace oil to run their diesel-powered vehicles because it saves them about 14 cents a litre on road taxes, he added.
Some jurisdictions have begun asking customers to pay before they pump, including self-serve stations in Winnipeg.
In British Columbia, a new pre-pay law is the legacy of Grant De Patie, a gas station attendant who was killed three years ago while trying to prevent a gas theft at a station in Maple Ridge, B.C.
Unofficial statistics from Winnipeg police indicate that gas thefts have decreased since stations began asking customers to pay first and pump later.
Between January and April 2008, there were 432 unconfirmed gas thefts in the city, compared with 489 during the same period last year.
The success of such provincial laws may push Ontario to adopt a similar policy, said Woolley.
"I think we might be headed down that road, so to speak."
