Is It Possible to Steal Gasoline Using Tinfoil?

An interesting robbery took place over the weekend in northwest Indiana.  A gas station in Michigan City was robbed of several hundreds of dollars of fuel with just a few sheets of aluminum foil.

How is it possible?  WSBT-TV reports that thieves climbed to the roof of the station and covered a small satellite dish with foil.  That prevented communication from the station to credit card companies in order to authorize purchases.

The owner, Syed Rizzi, told police he found two sheets of aluminum foil placed over a section of a satellite dish.

That prevented the gas pumps at his station from receiving the signal used to communicate with banks and other financial institutions on whether a card should be accepted or not accepted once swiped.

Police said the result was the pumps activating and an unknown amount of fuel stolen.

Rizzi told investigators blocking the signal did activate a backup computer at his station but the backup system does not detect if a card once swiped was stolen or fraudulent until after the purchase, according to police.

This tin foil trick is apparently becoming more common around the country.

[Source:  WSBT-TV/South Bend]