FACT CHECK: Fuel discount cards sold online are fake

Claim: Motorists can get up to P500 in savings or a 5% discount on gasoline or diesel purchases by using a “Fuel Go+” or “Fuel Max” card.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The video bearing the claim, which was posted on February 27, has already garnered around 12,000 views, 47 comments, and 45 reactions as of writing.

The video shows TikTok influencer Tito Drew seemingly promoting the fuel discount card, which is supposedly valid for five years. In the video, Tito Drew is shown saying that he receives a discount of P10 per liter when using the “Fuel Max” card. 

“Example kanina lang, 25 liters ‘yung nakarga sa kotse ko. ‘Yung bill ko dapat ay P1,425 pero ang binayaran ko ay P1,175 na lang. P250 ‘yung na-discount ko. Legit na ang laki nung nabawas ‘di ba?”

(For example, earlier I loaded 25 liters into my car. My total bill should have been P1,425, but I only paid P1,175. That’s a P250 discount. That’s a huge amount saved, right?)

The facts: In an advisory on January 6, the Department of Energy (DOE) warned the public against the fake fuel discount cards “Fuel Max” and “Fuel Go+” as these are not legitimate promotions and are not recognized by any fuel retailer in the country.

“Pinapayuhan ang publiko na huwag magpapadala sa mapanlinlang na alok, huwag magbigay ng personal na impormasyon, at iwasang magbayad o mag-register sa mga kahina-hinalang promosyon,” the DOE added.

(The public is advised not to be swayed by fraudulent offers, not to provide personal information, and to avoid paying or registering for suspicious promotions.)

Fuel companies’ statements: Several fuel companies, including Caltex, SEAOIL, and Petron Corporation, have also issued advisories on these scams. According to the companies, these fuel discount cards are unauthorized, illegitimate, and are not honored at any of their stations.

AItered video: The circulating video appears to be a manipulated reel of Tito Drew where he talks about tips for TikTok affiliates. The misleading video altered the original clip to make it appear that the influencer is endorsing the fuel discount card.

A scan using AI video detection tools flagged the misleading video as likely AI-generated or manipulated. Results from Hive Detect show that the video is 42.4% likely to be AI-generated, while the speech was flagged with a 98.3% probability. Sightengine produced similar findings, detecting the video as 83% likely to be AI-generated. – Samantha Uy/Rappler.com

Samantha Ysabel Uy is a Rappler volunteer. She is a third-year Broadcast Media Arts and Studies student at the University of the Philippines Diliman.

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