Fuel Thefts On The Rise

Lee Cowan Reports On A Crime Wave That's Targeting The Pumps

(CBS)  There's a crime wave sweeping the nation that hasn't been seen since the Bee Gees were on 8-track — and cars were so big they needed a docking permit.

The price of gas has gotten so high it's now worth stealing, CBS News Correspondent Lee Cowan reports, and police haven't seen it this bad since the fuel shortages of the 1970's.

Police all around the country are inundated with "gotcha tapes" of purloined petrol, and the "gas-and-dash" techniques are getting a lot more sophisticated.

At a station outside Chicago, thieves parked a truck to block the cashier's view — and for 45 minutes they filled up one friend's car after the other. How'd they do it?

"Took a panel off and began manipulating the inside of the pump," a station attendant tells Cowan.

They're not just losing gallons: they're losing business too. And nowhere is that more evident than in gas hungry California, where in at least one instance, not only was a tank load of gas stolen, but an entire truckload was.

"[We lost] about 600 gallons," says Charles Morgan, of Crazy Charley's Fuel & Propane. The gas was worth an estimated $1,500 lost in one night.

It's driving Crazy Charlie, well, crazy. He changed the locks on his tanks outside San Francisco and he now shuts off the power when he leaves — but that puts a dent in his pocket too.

"That doesn't let me sell any fuel at night," Morgan said.

Nearly a dozen states are looking at stiffening the penalties for gas thefts, including huge fines and suspending drivers licenses, Cowan reports. But catching fuel felons isn't always easy.

Some service stations are hoping to serve up citations too — think of it as a private eye for the pumps.

At one station, you can't fill up without your license plate being sized up.

"This is kind of the convenience store bang 'em in the head theory," says Varatec's Chuck Arledge, who showed Cowan such the system. "If a drive-off happens they can walk to the office and within seconds have full identification of the customer."

The deal: the station won't pass your name onto police if you agree to come back and pay. It's either that, station owners say, or they're going to have to force every customer to pre-pay for their gas — a convenience lost, fueled by mistrust.