‘Red flag’: Why one man’s ‘creepy’ questions at a servo have everyone talking
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An everyday visit to a local service station took an unexpected turn for one woman, revealing unsettling details that sparked widespread attention.
What she observed raised important questions about privacy and safety in everyday interactions.
The unfolding situation soon drew a strong response from the community and the business involved.
Around 2:45 pm on a Saturday, Claire Champion stopped at a Metro Petroleum service station in the small town of Tahmoor, on Sydney’s southwest outskirts.
What she saw inside left her feeling deeply unsettled.
An older man, white-haired and wearing a cap, approached the counter and started asking questions about a young female employee named Ally, according to Ms Champion.
To her shock, a male staff member disclosed not only Ally’s name but also her full weekly work schedule, detailing the exact days and hours she was on shift.
The man, who drove a white ute, appeared to be ‘asking a lot of questions’ about Ally, which immediately raised alarm bells for Ms Champion.
With 130,000 followers on social media, she returned to her car and instinctively recorded a video explaining what she had witnessed, hoping Ally would see it.
The video quickly went viral, gathering nearly half a million views and prompting the service station to respond.
‘I know this is a long shot in reaching you, but I know for a fact that if that was me, I would not want someone who didn’t know me well enough, to ask me my work schedule and didn’t know my name,’ Ms Champion said in the clip.
‘I wouldn’t want them knowing that information about me, so I hope this reaches you,’ she added, ending with: ‘Stay safe out there, Queens’.
Viewers expressed outrage at the staff member who gave away Ally’s personal information, with one commenting: ‘Genuinely baffled why her colleague did this?’
Another said: ‘Ally, your co-worker needs a talking to’, while others called the situation ‘outrageous’, and one suggested: ‘He should be fired’.
Many praised Ms Champion for speaking up, with one user writing: ‘Girls protecting girls in Australia–this is amazing!’
Another added: ‘You did the right thing,’ and a third called her response ‘top-notch’.
However, some questioned why Ms Champion had not intervened at the time or called the police, while others speculated the man could have been a relative or a debt collector.
Ms Champion explained she did not feel safe stepping in because she was alone with two men inside the service station.
‘My job was to make sure she was aware that a potential stranger knew her weekly schedule and was asking multiple questions about her,’ she said in response to comments.
She said her priority was alerting Ally before her next shift so she could stay informed.
The video achieved its goal quickly—Ally, her family, and the service station manager were all notified within hours.
Source: Tiktok/clairechampion_
Micha Hayek, whose family owns Metro Petroleum Tahmoor, shared that after reviewing CCTV footage, they identified both the worker on shift and the man asking the questions.
‘Our team member did get reprimanded and the entire team got an updated briefing on the safety of privacy and protecting each other at work and how to act in these situations,’ Ms Hayek said.
‘Because our station is in a small town, we have many return customers so after we showed Ally the footage to see what our next steps should be, it turns out he has been her regular customer for a while and she knows him, and he was just asking because she is not working her usual hours.’
In a follow-up video, Ms Champion told her followers: ‘This video made it to Ally and her family, as well as the service station manager. My approach worked, why criticise me for trying to do the right thing?’
Source: Tiktok/clairechampion_
She also rejected accusations of overreacting, saying it was better to be safe than sorry when it came to personal safety.
What would you do if you found out someone was sharing your personal information without your permission? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
What she observed raised important questions about privacy and safety in everyday interactions.
The unfolding situation soon drew a strong response from the community and the business involved.
Around 2:45 pm on a Saturday, Claire Champion stopped at a Metro Petroleum service station in the small town of Tahmoor, on Sydney’s southwest outskirts.
What she saw inside left her feeling deeply unsettled.
An older man, white-haired and wearing a cap, approached the counter and started asking questions about a young female employee named Ally, according to Ms Champion.
To her shock, a male staff member disclosed not only Ally’s name but also her full weekly work schedule, detailing the exact days and hours she was on shift.
Man’s questions spark privacy concerns at servo. Image source: Tiktok/@clairechampion_
The man, who drove a white ute, appeared to be ‘asking a lot of questions’ about Ally, which immediately raised alarm bells for Ms Champion.
With 130,000 followers on social media, she returned to her car and instinctively recorded a video explaining what she had witnessed, hoping Ally would see it.
The video quickly went viral, gathering nearly half a million views and prompting the service station to respond.
‘I know this is a long shot in reaching you, but I know for a fact that if that was me, I would not want someone who didn’t know me well enough, to ask me my work schedule and didn’t know my name,’ Ms Champion said in the clip.
‘I wouldn’t want them knowing that information about me, so I hope this reaches you,’ she added, ending with: ‘Stay safe out there, Queens’.
Viewers expressed outrage at the staff member who gave away Ally’s personal information, with one commenting: ‘Genuinely baffled why her colleague did this?’
Another said: ‘Ally, your co-worker needs a talking to’, while others called the situation ‘outrageous’, and one suggested: ‘He should be fired’.
Many praised Ms Champion for speaking up, with one user writing: ‘Girls protecting girls in Australia–this is amazing!’
Another added: ‘You did the right thing,’ and a third called her response ‘top-notch’.
However, some questioned why Ms Champion had not intervened at the time or called the police, while others speculated the man could have been a relative or a debt collector.
Ms Champion explained she did not feel safe stepping in because she was alone with two men inside the service station.
‘My job was to make sure she was aware that a potential stranger knew her weekly schedule and was asking multiple questions about her,’ she said in response to comments.
She said her priority was alerting Ally before her next shift so she could stay informed.
The video achieved its goal quickly—Ally, her family, and the service station manager were all notified within hours.
Source: Tiktok/clairechampion_
Micha Hayek, whose family owns Metro Petroleum Tahmoor, shared that after reviewing CCTV footage, they identified both the worker on shift and the man asking the questions.
‘Our team member did get reprimanded and the entire team got an updated briefing on the safety of privacy and protecting each other at work and how to act in these situations,’ Ms Hayek said.
‘Because our station is in a small town, we have many return customers so after we showed Ally the footage to see what our next steps should be, it turns out he has been her regular customer for a while and she knows him, and he was just asking because she is not working her usual hours.’
In a follow-up video, Ms Champion told her followers: ‘This video made it to Ally and her family, as well as the service station manager. My approach worked, why criticise me for trying to do the right thing?’
Source: Tiktok/clairechampion_
She also rejected accusations of overreacting, saying it was better to be safe than sorry when it came to personal safety.
What would you do if you found out someone was sharing your personal information without your permission? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
