A Californian man has shared the moments after allegedly discovering his car's gas tank had been drilled into in order to steal gas.

With gas prices reaching an all time high just less than two weeks ago, thieves have been discovering new ways to get theirs for free—including drilling holes into tanks and collecting the liquid.

Collin Akers from Fresno, California, has gone viral online after sharing a video of his tampered work van.

"Someone decided to help themselves to the gas out of my work van since gas prices are so high," he wrote on-screen. "By drilling a hole into my gas tank. Ended up costing over $2,000 to repair and $1,700 in van rental fees."

The video showed the underneath of the van, with a hole in the tank and a container underneath to collect the leaking gas. The video can be viewed here.

This new way of stealing gas is ridiculous. Couldn’t believe it when I walked out and seen this. #gas #gasprices #fresno #california #gasbandits #drillingforoil #gasstation #free99 #badday

Gas prices reached a record high on March 11 with the national average peaking at $4.33. Just a month ago, the average was just $3.535, while a year ago it was $2.882.

California, however, has above-average gas prices, with the current state average being $5.855—making it the highest average in the country.

With new prices, comes new stealing techniques. According to a USA Today report, large SUVs and pickup trucks are the most vulnerable when it comes to stealing gas through drilling, with the large underneath meaning there is more crawling space for thieves to work under. Plus, the larger gas tanks also make them more desirable victims.

This month saw various reports of similar incidents to Akers of tank drilling. In Missouri, tank drillers acted over two separate nights, police said. "Both vehicles were Dodge trucks parked in driveways. A hole was drilled in the tanks and the gas drained out," police told USA Today.

Similarly, a woman in Allentown, Pennsylvania, was reportedly a victim of the new theft, along with a neighbor.

She told ABC 7 that someone drilled a hole into her gas tank and surveillance footage caught the alleged thief at her car with a drill in hand along with a bucket.

Viewers of Akers' viral video have rushed to share their similar anecdotes of this rising kind of theft.

"I work at a repair shop and we've seen this more than usual. It's sad," wrote one user.

"They did this to my husband's truck. It's Diesel, it's $6.50 a gallon," added another.

"Not only that, but they could have caused a really bad accident," reasoned one TikTok user.

The AAA released advice for drivers to help them avoid being victims of gas theft:

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