Authorities have closed down a gas station, arrested several workers and charged a Saudi businesswoman with fraud, for selling diluted fuel to unwary customers, according to an Internet Arabic newspaper.

The gas station in Al-Samer district was closed down after a police investigation revealed that the workers were mixing the green type of gasoline "91" with a special red substance and selling it as the red type "95."

Lt. Nawaf Al-Bouq, spokesman of the Jeddah Police, said patrols were sent to the station following several complaints from motorists. The police then questioned the station's workers and its female owner. The case was forwarded to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry for a decision.

Al-Bouq said the owner would be named and shamed by publishing notices in local newspapers announcing that her business was fraudulent. Sources said the Saudi owner may not have known about the fraud, but still has to accept responsibility for the actions of her workers.

Abdullah Al-Thebyani, a resident of Al-Samer, and a regular customer of the station, said he noticed that the fuel he bought over the past two months had affected the performance of his vehicle and was worried it would seriously damage his engine. "I was relieved when I heard the station had been closed for fraud."

An increased number of cases of gasoline fraud have surfaced recently largely due to online activists reporting suspicious incidents to authorities. In late November, a leading gasoline company in the country had to publish notices in newspapers admitting that there had been tampering of gas pump meters resulting in its stations selling less petrol than customers paid for.

At a recent meeting of the Young Lawyers United (YLU) organization at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, scores of experts, lawyers and legal professionals discussed the rising incidence of commercial fraud.

Mohammad Shawly, a representative of Saudi Aramco, said there should be more education of consumers on how to report cases. He said consumers should use the ministry of commerce's fraud hotline and other online services to report corrupt activities.

Basma Khashoggi, a legal expert, said that drastic measures were needed to combat these corrupt practices, which would include combined efforts from government and consumers. She urged the public to report such cases to the police.