Woman figures out trick to get free gas for months; now faces felony theft charge
FILE- A person is seen pumping gas at a station. (Photo by: Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
LINCOLN, Neb. - A Nebraska woman who found an unusual method to get free gasoline for months is now facing criminal charges.
The 45-year-old was arrested on March 6. She’s free on bond and has an April court hearing on felony theft charges.
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This scheme by the woman apparently went on for several months, the Associated Press reported. Investigators say that her crime cost the gas station almost $28,000.
Police learned of the matter in October 2023 when a loss-prevention manager notified authorities of a scam that happened at a gas station in Lincoln, Nebraska.
The company claimed to be unaware of a glitch that let people swipe a rewards card twice to put a gas pump into demonstration mode, which allows a customer to pump gas for free.
One card was used multiple times to get free gas, and authorities traced the card to the woman, who was spotted on video pumping gas on several visits between November 2022 and June 1, 2023.
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During that time, the woman used the rewards card 510 times and pumped more than 7,400 gallons of free gas, KOLN-TV in Nebraska reported.
The woman, who was not named, is also accused of letting another woman use her rewards card to get free gas for a fee.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.