Nebraska woman used rewards card loophole for 7,000 gallons of free gas: Reports

A 45-year-old Nebraska woman is facing a criminal charge for allegedly using a loophole to steal over 7,000 gallons of gas worth more than $27,000, according to media reports.

The woman is accused of improperly using her rewards card from Pump and Pantry in Lincoln, Nebraska, at least 510 times over six months, KOLN-TV reported.

There's normally nothing wrong with using a rewards card, but police say the Lincoln woman took advantage of a software update from November 2022 that managed orders and rewards cards at the fuel pump, the TV station said.

Unbeknownst to Bosselman Enterprise, the owner of Pump and Pantry, the update was allowing anyone who swiped their rewards card twice to switch the gas pump from regular mode to demo mode, WILX-TV reported. While in demo mode, free gas can be administered, the TV station said.

In addition to using the rewards card 510 times, she's also accused of being paid to give her card to another woman for free gas, WILX-TV reported. The woman allegedly paid $500 for $700 worth of gas from the rewards member.

How did woman get caught misusing rewards card?

Lincoln police say they caught the woman in the act when they checked surveillance footage and saw her pumping gas into her car several times, according to WILX-TV. Police identified the woman using her rewards card information and court records, the TV station said.

When Lincoln police interviewed her, she told detectives that a man paying off a car debt gave her the rewards card as opposed to giving her money, WILX-TV reported. Police could not contact the man because he died in January.

Lincoln police believe the woman had been getting free gas between Nov. 13, 2022, and June 1, 2023, KOLN-TV reported. Investigators estimate that the woman got 7,413.59 gallons of free gasoline, which the gas station manager said cost him $27,860.27 in losses, the TV station added.

The woman was arrested on March 6 on a theft charge and given a $7,500 bond, according to KOLN. She was not listed as a current inmate in the Lancaster County jail as of Monday.

Jonathan Limehouse covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at JLimehouse@gannett.com