A WOMAN used a glitch with a petrol pump to get £22,000 worth of fuel for free.
After discovering the flaw she took advantage and grabbed the opportunity for a freebie – making several visits over a six month period.
The savvy 45-year-old – from Lincoln, Nebraska – discovered she could access the pump’s demo mode by swiping her rewards card twice, and from there she could pump gas without getting charged.
But she has now landed herself in hot water and has been charged with the theft of more than 7,400 gallons of gas amounting to £22,000.
The saga began in November of 2022 when the pumps at Pump and Pantry – near West O Street and Sun Valley Boulevard in Lincoln – received a software update that managed order and reward cards.
But, unbeknown to the company, the update came with a simple falt that allowed anyone access the pump’s demo mode by simply swiping their card twice.
The problem was eventually discovered and the software was fixed in 2023 but by that time a particular card had already been used to steal a considerable amount of fuel.
By tracing the card, Bosselman Enterprise caught Thompson red-handed as surveillance camera footage captured her fueling her vehicle at the station multiple times.
Records show that the reward card was used a whopping 510 times between November 13, 2022, and June 1st, 2023, sometimes multiple times per day.
During this time, her card accrued minimal rewards, because it wasn’t used as intended.
Bosselman Enterprise alerted the Lincoln Police about Thomson after one of the company’s loss prevention managers learned about her behaviour.
And there was a twist in the tale as police found another woman who had used Thompson’s reward card on several occasions.
She told investigators that Thompson would let her use the card to get “discounted fuel.”
She paid the 45-year-old woman £390 for about £550 of gas.
Court documents showed that Dawn Thompson sold her reward card in June of 2023, after the update that finally fixed the exploitable glitch.
She was arrested on March 6 after a months-long investigation and arraigned the following day.
Her next Court hearing is on April 11.
