- A Nebraska woman is facing grand theft charges after allegedly exploiting a faulty gas station pump and causing approximately $28,000 in damage to the station.
- Prosecutors said the 45-year-old woman used a double-swipe method on her loyalty card to enter demo mode at the pump and get free gas.
- The scam continued for several months until it was discovered in October, and the woman was arrested in March.
A Nebraska woman is said to have found a trick to make money at gas station pumps. Points Double swipe her card and get free gas.
Unfortunately for her, that’s not possible, the prosecutor said. The 45-year-old woman was arrested on March 6, and she is charged with felony theft for causing approximately $28,000 in damage to the gas station.
Prosecutors allege the woman abused the system over several months. Police learned of the problem in October when Bosselman Enterprises’ loss prevention manager reported that the company’s Pump and Pantry in Lincoln had been compromised.
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The station’s fuel pumps received a software update in November 2022 to specifically manage loyalty cards. However, the company was unaware of a glitch that allowed anyone to put a gas pump into demonstration mode by swiping their loyalty card twice. In demo mode, users could fill up with gas for free.
A Nebraska woman is facing a felony theft charge after allegedly exploiting a malfunctioning gas station pump, causing approximately $28,000 in damage to the station. (Roberto Machado Noah/Lightrocket via Getty Images)
Loss prevention administrators determined that a particular card had been used repeatedly to obtain free gas, according to the prosecutor’s probable cause report. Police were able to trace the card to the suspect, and video surveillance showed the woman pumping gas multiple times between November 2022 and June 1, when the bug was fixed. said the statement.
Authorities believe the woman not only used the scam to get free gas, but also paid another woman to use her card.
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The woman told police she paid for the card as a “gas discount,” according to a statement of probable cause. Authorities believe the woman paid Thompson $500 for gas that would have cost about $700.
The card was used a total of 510 times and more than 7,400 gallons of gasoline was filled for free, according to the probable cause statement.
The suspect has been released on bail and will be arraigned on April 11th. A phone message was left with his attorney Tuesday.
