A woman faces prison time after exploiting a glitch that allowed her to get free gas for over 6 months.
With gas prices being just another thing on the ever-growing list of skyrocketing prices, you can understand the excitement at possibly getting cheaper fill-ups. Any way you can save money tends to be a good thing... until it becomes illegal that is.
One woman from Nebraska now faces a felony charge after she was caught exploiting a glitch in the pump of a local gas station. In a short amount of time, she managed to cost a gas station in Lincoln nearly a whopping $28,000.
45-year-old Dawn Thompson has been charged with one count of theft by unlawfully taking $5000+ after she was arrested was arrested March 6, 2024.
Police have said Thompson exploited this glitch from November 2022 to June 2023.
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Police were first informed of their being an issue after getting a call from Bosselman Enterprise’s loss prevention manager on Oct. 20, 2023. The manager had found out the Pump and Pantry near West O Street and Sun Valley Boulevard that someone had been participating in a fuel scam.
The glitch occurred due to a 2022 update in the pump services’ software, which seemingly allowed customers to swipe their rewards card twice to enter a demo mode.
Customers could then use the pump without paying and Thompson is now accused of using the glitch to steal 7,414 gallons (approximately $3.758 per gallon) of gas over the time period.
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A probable cause statement from prosecutors stated the loss prevention manager was able to determine that one particular card had been use repeatedly to exploit the system error.
Security footage from around the pumps was also looked over to determine who was using the pumps at the time the card was being used.
Investigators were able to determine that another woman was also using the card in 2023.
When the woman was contacted by police she claimed that Thompson allowed her to use the card in order to get discounted gas.
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Police believe the second woman paid Thompson $500 for $700 worth of gas between 10 uses. The woman also claimed that she sold the card sometime in June 2023, however, the fuel exploit was fixed on June 1.
It is not clear whether this second woman also faces theft or felony charges.
Thompson was arraigned on Thursday, and she was not listed in the Lancaster County jail’s inmate roster as of Friday. Thompson’s next court hearing is scheduled for April 11.
Gerrard Kaonga