DECATUR, Ga. —
Thieves are tampering with fuel pumps and stealing thousands of dollars worth of gas in DeKalb County.
That’s according to a gas station owner in Decatur who said one thief stole hundreds of gallons in a single visit.
As fuel prices skyrocket, the station owner said thieves are getting more creative.
There haven’t been many gas drive-offs at his station.
Instead he’s seen slow, deliberate and plotted out theft even as his surveillance cameras record.
“I’m trying to make it a little safer,” he said. “I’m trying all the tricks in the book.”
Channel 2’s Carl Willis met the owner while pumping gas over the weekend and saw him making repairs to his pump cabinet.
He didn’t want to be identified or give his location out of fear of more thefts, but said someone is prying open older-model fuel pumps with simple tools and rigging the system.
“Just a screwdriver,” he said.
Once inside of the pump, he said the thief damages or removes a cog wheel that allows the gas to flow regularly while the meter that indicates how much you pay slows to a crawl.
He said that allows thieves to steal bulk amounts of gas and everyone who comes after to only pay pennies on the dollar.
Source
