It appears high fuel prices are driving people to siphon gasoline in Augusta.

Somebody siphoned more than $150 worth of the fuel from three vans at a South Augusta day care Wednesday night.

"With all the cars out there, why would you come to a day care?," asked Donna Cotton. She counts on her three vans to get kids between school and her day care. So she was shocked to find their gas tanks empty Wednesday morning. "It messed up my day," she said. "It really did.

Dozens of videos on YouTube demonstrate how to siphon gas. With prices continuing to rise it's likely to become a more common crime.

So how can you protect yourself?

"Somebody trying to steal gas wants to get in pretty quickly, so if they have a key on there, they may be deterred from stealing gas," said Steve Mixon with Tires Plus.

But Mixon says if thieves want your fuel they'll find a way, so use common sense, "Park your car in a garage at night, or in a well-lighted area," he said.

Cotton says she's worried about a repeat hit -- but she's not going to spring for locking caps. The thieves already cut the fuel line on her 15-passenger van.

The whole thing leaves her wondering what to do. "Do I fill it up?," she asked. "Cause if the issue is gas, you're waiting for somebody to come back."

Richmond County investigators say they've had two reports of fuel siphoning in two weeks and hope they don't see the start of a trend.