Local Gas Station Protects Itself in a Fun Way

Crossroads at Hanwell has had hundreds of thefts since the businesses opening in 2014; but because of a popular “game” the store started on their Facebook page, 98% of thieves have been caught.

“It started with just peoples picture on the counter in 2014, and it grew from there because people were coming in just to see these pictures, like: ‘do I know this person, do I know this person?’. And then I thought one day ‘heck, let’s try online’—and it just went from there,” said Emily Filliter, the stores manager.

The game is simple. Someone is caught stealing from the store on 1 of the 53 cameras in and outside the store, that footage is then uploaded to the Crossroads Facebook, and the caption reads some form of “do you know this person?”.

Filliter created the game back in 2015 in hopes it would scare away thieves, as well as result in more convictions.

Not only has the game done both of those things, but it’s also turned something negative into something positive; allowing for a further connection between customers and staff—provoking an occasional laugh.

“The more followers you get the more chance you have to get names of people. We’ve had people from as far as Ontario steal from here and successfully get their name,” Filliter said.

The captions on these posts not only get people thinking if they recognize the thief, but it’s also what protects the business from being sued for defamation or slander. The business has been called, messaged and even received comments directly on their posts, threatening them with legal action.

“We’ve had people with their lawyer – take that down its slander—it’s not considered slander. We’ve had our legal team investigate this, and as long as you’re not making any false accusations, as if like–this person stole, or I’m looking for this person because– that’s why I turned it into a game,” said Filliter.

Jayce Cleghorn, a cashier at Crossroads for almost two years, says he’s mostly dealt with people driving off without paying for their gas, and that he enjoys the game.

“I think it’s really good to set examples of thieves. I mean no one wants to be on Facebook stealing liquor or gas, so it gives that incentive to not steal,” said Cleghorn.

With a 98% conviction rate, there should be no reason for the Crossroads game to slow down.

“In this day in age I’d hope every business would protect themselves, but I understand that in our case there is outlining risks,” said Filliter.