- Dawn Thompson, 45, has been charged with felony theft after allegedly exploiting a bug that allowed her to pump gas for free.
- A second woman allegedly paid Thompson $500 for $700 worth of gas.
- Fuel pumps at Pump & Pantry in Lincoln, Nebraska, received a software update in November 2022 that caused the problem.
<!–
<!–
<!– <!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
A Nebraska woman was arrested after allegedly using a sneak trick to pump more than 7,400 gallons of free gas over six months.
Dawn Thompson, 45, allegedly used a rewards card 510 times between November 2022 and June 2023, pumping 7,413.59 gallons of gasoline worth $27,860.27, according to the affidavit.
He allegedly took advantage of a pump glitch that allowed him to swipe a rewards card twice, switching the pump from normal mode to demo mode. From there, he pumped gas for free.
Staff at Pump & Pantry in Lincoln, Nebraska, first reported someone involved in “some type of fuel scam” in June of last year, according to Cologne.
During the investigation, it was revealed that the fuel pumps received a software update in November 2022, which caused the failure.
Dawn Thompson, 45, was arrested after allegedly using a sneak trick to pump more than 7,400 gallons of free gas over six months at Pump & Pantry (pictured) in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Thompson allegedly used a rewards card 510 times between November 2022 and June 2023, pumping 7,413.59 gallons of gasoline worth $27,860.27, according to the affidavit.
Lincoln police received a call from a Bosselman Enterprise loss prevention manager in October of last year, saying someone had been participating in a fuel scam.
The manager discovered that the system update had allowed people to enter the pump into demo mode and pump gas for free.
A card had been constantly used to pump gas for free, and surveillance footage also captures the woman refueling her vehicle multiple times.
Authorities later identified Thompson, 45, by tracing information on the card.
Between November 13, 2022 and June 1, 2023, Thompson’s rewards card was allegedly used 510 times, including multiple uses on the same day.
Investigators also spoke with a second person who allegedly used the card last year. The unidentified woman claimed she paid Thompson to use the card to get “discounted fuel.”
Staff at Pump & Pantry in Lincoln, Nebraska, first reported someone involved in “some type of fuel scam” in June of last year.
Thompson allegedly took advantage of a pump glitch that allowed him to swipe a rewards card twice, switching the pump from normal mode to demo mode. From there, he pumped free gas.
He allegedly paid Thompson $500 for $700 worth of gas over ten uses, the affidavit states.
According to the woman, Thompson sold the card in June of last year, before the bomb issue was fixed on June 1.
During an interview, Thompson said he received the card in lieu of payment from a man paying off a car debt. The man died shortly before January of this year.
On Wednesday, Thompson was arrested at her home and charged with one count of felony theft by unlawfully taking more than $5,000.
His bond was set at $7,500 and his next court hearing is scheduled for April 11. It is unclear if he has pleaded guilty at this time.