A Nebraskan woman uncovered a gas pump software bug that allowed her to earn tens of thousands of dollars in free gas, but the owners caught on.
According to Lincoln’s 1011 Now local radio, a 45-year-old woman was charged with one count of theft after discovering a flaw in the gas machines at a store called “Pump and Pantry.”
Following further investigation, the cops found the source of the woman’s scheme: an update to the pumps’ rewards management software in November 2022, which was apparently implemented at the request of both customers and personnel.
Due to an error in the unidentified software, a double swipe of the rewards card would put pumps into “demo mode,” allowing them to dispense gas for free.
The 45-year-old woman’s rewards card had been used multiple times to acquire free petrol, and by tracing its information, the station’s parent firm, Bosselman Enterprise, was able to identify her.
Despite the fact that they’re not certain, Lincoln police informed the local television station that they suspect the woman used her rewards card to acquire free gas 510 times between November 2022 and June 2023. Ultimately, it’s believed that the woman pumped over 7,000 gallons of free fuel worth more than $27,000.
In addition to enjoying free gas, the woman appeared to have profited from the scheme. Another person identified as a victim of glitchy gas informed the police that the woman let at least one other person to use the card to get “discounted gas” on ten occasions, charging a total of $500 for $700 in gas.
That same person also told authorities that the woman sold the card to someone on June 1, 2023, the same day the software issue was resolved, according to the complaint.
The case of the Nebraskan scammer is an unfortunate combination of small-town swindling and dumb software, with the woman allegedly selling the card to someone to pay off a car loan and police being unable to contact the man throughout their months-long inquiry into the gasoline theft because he has since died.