A young Sydney driver has revealed his shock after being told he had to pay for petrol before filling up, or hand over his phone as collateral, as fuel theft surges and the Middle East conflict drives up prices. A sign taped to a petrol pump at a Fairfield East BP servo warned motorists: 'PAY BEFORE YOU FILL UP.’ 'This is where we’re at now,’ Dennis Suro told Daily Mail. Staff told Mr Suro the station had been hit by a wave of thefts so severe they had no choice but to introduce the measures. 'I asked why this is happening, and they said $800 to $1,000 worth of petrol is being stolen every day.’ Mr Suro said the problems with pre-paying were immediately clear. 'I wanted a full tank, but with fuel prices constantly changing, I had no idea what that would cost before I even started filling up.’ Instead, staff suggested he leave his phone at the counter. 'It felt surreal. This isn’t something I associate with Australia. We’ve always had a simple system, you fill up, then you pay.’ Mr Suro said the change was particularly challenging in a community like Fairfield, one of the most culturally diverse areas in the country. 'For many residents here, English isn’t their first language,’ he said. 'Moving away from a simple 'fill up, then pay’ system makes everyday interactions harder and exposes communication barriers that didn’t exist before.’ He said the experience highlighted a broader breakdown of trust. 'There’s now a clear sense of distrust between the business and customers, and it makes the whole situation uncomfortable,’ he said. 'Leaving my phone behind felt abnormal and really showed just how much things have changed.’ 'What was once built on trust now comes with conditions, risks and a level of caution that didn’t exist before – and that’s going to have a real impact on the community.’
