For the crooks operating skimmers on gas pumps, ATMs, or retail credit card terminals, an important part of their business model is getting the data from the devices. One way around this problem is to integrate a SIM card and have the device send text messages with the freshest payment card numbers. For the first time, such a device was found inside a gas pump. [More]
gas stations
There Are Only 32 Retail Gas Stations Left In Manhattan
By 7.19.17
Every day, new people arrive in New York City, and those people need housing. In response to that demand, developers in Manhattan have been busy knocking down old buildings and putting up new ones. One casualty of that real estate boom? Gas stations, which have become increasingly rare in recent years. [More]
Gas Station Cheese Sauce Linked To Dangerous Botulism Outbreak
By 5.18.17
Food-borne illness outbreaks are often tied to fresh foods — unwashed raw vegetables, tainted undercooked meat, raw dairy products — but not the neon yellow nacho cheese sauce you’d get at a movie theater or convenience store. However, one batch of this processed cheese-like product has been linked to multiple, potentially lethal cases of botulism. [More]
Americans’ Gas-Guzzling Habit Will Peak In 2018
By 3.2.17
While the total number of cars on the road will increase in the coming years, experts predict that the United States’ oil usage will peak next year. That’s because the growing popularity of electric and hybrid vehicles along with ever-increasing (government-mandated, at least for now) fuel economy standards mean that the our gasoline usage will peak next year, and fall from there. [More]
Even Police Can Fall Victim To Card Skimming Devices
By 1.26.17
You might think that you’re too savvy to be tricked into slipping your credit card into a skimming device that steals your account info, but you’re probably not. Just ask the Indiana State Police, whose troopers were fooled by one skimmer, and who are now using the incident as a teachable moment for everyone. [More]
Some Jerks Are Using Bluetooth Card Skimming Devices At Dallas Gas Stations
By 8.5.16
If you live in the Dallas area, you might want to rethink using plastic to pay at the gas station. Not because debit and credit cards aren’t a fine way to pay for fuel, but because some jerks are using Bluetooth skimming devices to steal from oblivious drivers at the pump. [More]
Why You Should Go To Wawa If You Want To Fall In Love With A Stranger
By 5.23.16
Not having luck on those swipe’em or leave’em dating apps, or striking out at the bar? While we can’t guarantee you’ll fall head over heels in love with a stranger at a convenience store, there are those out there who point to popular roadside stop Wawa as a hot spot for romantic activity. [More]
Gasoline And Diesel Mixup Leaves Customers Without Vehicles, With Huge Repair Bills
By 11.18.15
Gasoline mixups are one of the scarier consumer horror stories out there, since there isn’t much that a motorist can do to prevent or mitigate them. One happened in Tarrant County, Texas recently: people who pumped gasoline received diesel fuel, and people who pumped diesel received gasoline. [More]
Those Gas Pump “Anti-Skimming” Stickers Are Really Just Pointless Decoration
By 11.16.15
More than four years ago, a number of gas stations in the U.S. started slapping stickers on gas pump credit card readers in an effort to cut down on illegal card skimmers that steal customers’ payment info. And almost immediately, these same gas stations showed they had no idea what to do with these stickers. A new report shows that not only do some companies not really care about these stickers, but that anyone can buy them. [More]
Gas Prices Get Low, Stay Low: You Could Be Paying Under $2 Per Gallon Soon
By 8.10.15
If you’re planning an end-of-the-summer road trip, you’re in luck: Gas prices across the country are pretty low right now, dropping about 6% in the last month to just $2.59 a gallon on average. But if you’re planning to hit the highways and byways this fall, your luck is about to get even better at the pump, as experts say gas prices could fall below $2 a gallon next month. [More]
Oregon Drivers May Soon Be Able To Pump Their Own Gas In Remote Areas
By 5.7.15
If you meet someone who doesn’t know how to pump gas, it’s likely due to one of two things: Either they’ve never driven a car/don’t have a license because they live in a city where it’s unnecessary, or they’re from either Oregon or New Jersey, where it’s illegal to pump your own gas. That could be changing for Oregonians soon, at least to a certain extent. [More]
Police: Thief Spent 15 Minutes Dragging Cooler Full Of Stolen Ice Cream Past Napping Gas Station Clerk
By 4.24.15
There’s being asleep on the job, and then there’s napping so hard that you apparently don’t notice someone hauling an ice cream cooler past your nose in a 15-minute effort. Police in Florida say a thief managed to drag a cooler filled with Good Humor products out of a gas station store while the clerk snoozed, taking a moment to flip the bird at the security camera. [More]
Shell Gas Stations Turn To Hot Dogs For Financial Comfort As The Price Of Fuel Drops
By 12.19.14
I’m no stranger to falling into the loving embrace of encased meats, but who knew that gas stations are also seeking comfort from hot dogs these days? While it’s good news for drivers that gas costs less, for oil companies those cheaper prices at the pump means sales that slump (sorry sorry I had to). [More]
Gas Station Owners Aren’t Passing Their Savings On To Consumers
By 12.12.14
You may have noticed prices gradually falling at your neighborhood gas station over the last few months, what you may not know is that the price of oil has been falling even faster than that. Why aren’t station owners passing the savings on to drivers? They’re in a generally low-margin business, and we’re all still buying gas anyway. [More]
Police: Regretful Thief Returns Money To Gas Station Hours After Robbing It, Apologizes
By 10.27.14
There’s regretting past misdeeds, and then there’s feeling immediately so sorry for doing someone wrong that you return to the scene of the crime to set things aright. The latter was the case for a 23-year-old in California who police said robbed a gas station convenience store and then came back to apologize with the cash later. [More]
A Bad Idea Gets Even Worse When Lit Candle In Car Sparks Fire At Gas Station
By 10.9.14
Riding around in a car with an open flame is a bad idea all on its own: Any unexpected movements or sharp turns and that candle you lit for ambiance or use when your interior lights are out is going to go flying. Flying fire is bad, but it’s perhaps an even worse idea to have a flickering flame when your car is sitting still at the gas station. And yes, someone has definitely done this. [More]
No, This Arab Immigrant Does Not Refuse To Sell Gasoline To Soldiers
By 9.11.14
Is there bigoted immigrant gas station owner in Michigan who refuses to do business with members of the American armed forces? Well… no, but that didn’t stop people from passing on a call to boycott it. Before you hit “share” on an angry call to boycott a business, consider whether the precipitating incident could be a huge misunderstanding. [More]
Visa’s New Fraud Protection System Detects Credit Card User’s Risk At The Gas Pump
By 8.20.14
This year credit card companies have sought out ways to make credit card use safer and more secure for consumers. While we’re still waiting for the widespread implementation of chip-and-pin cards, Visa is attempting to tackle fraud at one of its more common sources: the gas pump. [More]
