‘Another Pink Tax:' NYC Woman Hires Man to Be Her Boyfriend for 1 Hour So She Doesn't Get Scammed When Buying Ford Truck
"Make sure he knows wtf he is talking about."
A woman is going viral on TikTok after revealing the extreme step she took to avoid getting scammed while buying a used Ford truck: hiring a fake boyfriend off TaskRabbit.
TikTok user @roux.tv says she didn’t know any car experts—or, as she puts it, “blue collar” men—so she hired someone to pose as her boyfriend during the transaction. In the clip, the man is seen chatting with the seller and doing a full inspection of the truck, even getting on his hands and knees to check underneath and popping the hood to look for issues.
“Me & the man I hired to play my boyfriend for an hour so I wouldn’t get scammed buying this car,” she writes in the overlay text.
“Unfortunately, my type is emotionally unavailable men who can’t change a tire,” @roux.tv adds in the caption. The video has racked up over 821,000 views as of Wednesday.
What’s TaskRabbit?
TaskRabbit is a platform that connects people with local freelancers—called “Taskers”—for help with everyday tasks.
That can include anything from moving furniture and assembling IKEA shelves to, as @roux.tv proved, pretending to be your boyfriend while you buy a car.
Taskers set their rates and choose which jobs to take based on their availability and skills.
Are women more likely to get scammed when buying a car?
Trending Now
Plenty of anecdotal evidence suggests women are often scammed at both the dealership and the mechanic.
In a 2022 AskMechanics Reddit thread, one user said they avoided two repair shops after hearing employees brag about ripping off female customers.
People on Reddit and those who viewed @roux.tv’s video echoed that experience.
“Even though I know about cars, they still try [to] scam me,” one woman said. “If I take my dad, it’s a different environment.”
Some argue the issue is less about gender and more about opportunism. “If some ‘nerdy’ guy turns up, I’m sure it would be the same,” one Redditor said.
Still, studies suggest women often pay more.
A deep dive by The Atlantic found women, especially those who appeared less informed, were quoted higher prices for the same repairs as men.
Researchers attributed this not necessarily to outright sexism but to statistical discrimination: Mechanics assume women know less about cars, and quote accordingly.
In the comments on @roux.tv’s video, one viewer compared it to the pink tax, referring to the phenomenon where products and services marketed to women cost more.
“Another pink tax,” they wrote.
‘Find a Mechanic’
Commenters were quick to praise @roux.tv’s creative approach to avoiding a scam, and many shared their own strategies when buying a used car.
“I always find a mechanic who has an hour and just offer 100-200 bucks to come along when I buy a used car,” one viewer shared.
“Did the same for my lesbian bestie for her first motorcycle,” another wrote. “I felt honored.”
“I’m friends with my mechanic, so when I bought my last car, I took him with me and paid him with lunch and a beer, haha,” added a third.
Some people, however, warned that hiring a stranger isn’t always foolproof.
“That’s a very good idea,” one said. “But make sure he knows wtf he is talking about and looking for. Because he, too, can get scammed.”
“Luckily, you didn’t hire me, we would have been scammed together and would have to walk home together,” joked another.
Others saw a potential business opportunity—offering car-savvy folks as help for nervous buyers.
“Honestly, more people who aren’t knowledgeable about cars should do this,” one man said. “We’d love to help out.”
“Not me staring at my husband, wondering if I can rent him out to help since he knows about vehicles,” someone else said. “Or we can be the brother/sister helping out.”
Motor1 has reached out to @roux.tv via a TikTok comment. Her account does not accept direct messages from people she doesn’t follow. We’ll update this post if she responds.
More From Motor1
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
'Do Not Fall For This': Mechanic Gives Woman Estimate To Fix Her Honda’s A/C. Then She Goes To AutoZone
50 Future Cars Worth Waiting For: 2026-2030
Man Buys $4,500 'Bumper-To-Bumper' New-Car Warranty From AssureGuard. Then He Tries To Use It
Stellantis Has A Plan: Seven New Cars Under $40,000
Man Buys New Car. Then His Dashboard Goes Completely Blank: '20 Percent Failure Rate'
AMG's CEO Has A Plan To Get People Excited About EVs: 'You Need To Drive It'
‘Did The Same Last Week’: Man Pulls Into Parking Lot. Then He Realizes Nissan Driver Is Unknowingly About To ‘Blow Up’ His Own Car