A New Gas Theft Technique
The Santa Rosa Press- Democrat warns us of a new low tech way thieves are stealing gas in Sonoma County: They switch pump nozzles.
As best I can figure from reading the story, the thieves take the nozzle from one side of the pumping station and put it in the receptacle on the other side. The nozzle on one side going to the one on the other side and vice- versa. You drive up, skim your credit card into the card reader, then put the nozzle in your gas receptacle and turn it on.
Except, since the pumps were switched, you're actually using the pump on the other side. The pump you paid for is actually being used by the bad guy on the other side. He fills up, charging your credit card, and drives off. You're left wondering why your pump stopped (or never turned on) but your gas gauge shows the same level.
I don't see how that would work, with the exception of very unusual circumstances. For instance, someone that's going to do a large fill up. They might put the nozzle in their tank, turn it on, then go sit in the car to wait. Otherwise, they'd probably notice a difference if they paid attention to the display on the pump. I'm generally right there paying attention to how much is going into the tank so I'd notice.
Never mind not noticing the fuel line to the pump obviously on the wrong side, although that might be something most of us don't pay attention to. And most fuel lines aren't that long so it might not reach very well. Those long fuel lines that work both sides of the pump like the have at the Willits Safeway might work.
In any case, you've been warned.
posted by Fred Mangels @ 8:26 AM
6 comments
6 Comments:
Just get your gas in Oregon where an attendant works the pump. No self-service plus gas is cheaper, too.
Uh....I don't want to spend $40 in gas just to get gas in Oregon.
This scam is technically possible and not super difficult to hook up. It's a matter of hooking and plugging things in different places. It would however take forever to set up and only the most incompetent and careless station owner would NOT notice his pumps being taken apart to make this happen. There are certified mechanics that take care of pumps and the equipment itself is a little harder to redo.
A skimmer is easy to install, and also isn't too hard to figure out (give it a good jiggle and a good looking over). I've come across a couple in years past. A way to avoid having your bank card cleaned out is to NEVER use a PIN for gas unless you purchase it inside. Always use it as a credit transaction as PIN based exchanges can't be argued with your bank as it's assumed no one has your PIN. If a machine does not allow a credit transaction, LEAVE. Or pay cash. There is something fish with the POS terminal if it will take one type and not another (such as a skimmer in place).
Buy only at COSTCO. Problem solved.
I'm even more not sure that wouldn't be an easy scam to pull off now. I just drove by Renner Petroleum and was looking at the pump layout. Seems to me the hoses are too short to easily lend themselves to switching nozzles.
You'd use up 2 to 3 feet of already limited hose length trying to put the nozzle on the other side. That would make it noticeably difficult for the nozzle to get to your gas port, from what I could see.
As I already wrote, the set up they have at the Willits Safeway might lend itself to such a thing. Those hoses and their connectors are designed to fuel from either side. The swivel for them is up high where nobody really looks anyway. With all the confusion that takes place at that station, It wouldn't surprise me if it might be really easy to pull off.
A person would have to be very unobservant to miss that the pump nozzles are reversed AND miss that his nozzle never began dispensing gasoline.
More likely, if you amazingly tried using the wrong nozzle, you would figure out within a minute what was wrong, long before the thief has finished stealing gas.
Anyone who is a victim of this type of theft should be evaluated to see whether they're still competent to drive.
Agreed, with the gas pumps I'm seeing. Except for those ones with the real long hoses meant to be used on either side of the pump. If someone went to fill up their tank and sat in the car waiting, I could see that, but it would be rare to get the right circumstances to do it to someone.
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