When a baby-blue Freightliner pulled into an agricultural inspection station in Pensacola, Florida, the attending officers immediately sounded alarm bells for fuel scams.
Earlier, a ‘be-on-the-lookout’ report was issued for a similar truck that was likely tied to a fuel theft ring operating across Florida. As K9 units scoured the airspace, a failed sniff-test confirmed their suspicions. The driver was apprehended.
What then followed surprised officers.
A small, inconspicuous magnet was hidden under the steering wheel. Experts identified the magnet as a device used to steal fuel.
With a small handful of metal, this trucker was getting away with thousands of dollars in stolen fuel.
Here’s the latest in fuel scams.
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How Criminals Use Magnets in New Fuel Scams
When you pump fuel at a gas station, a solenoid allows fuel to flow once payment is received. In a nutshell, the payment sends an electric charge to the solenoid, the solenoid creates space for the fuel, and voila! You’ve spent hundreds of dollars on gas.
Thieves have learned that strong magnets can manipulate solenoids. By placing the magnet next to the solenoid, fuel begins to flow without payment.
This scam is especially dangerous because it bypasses all digital records, leaving no trace but a dripping pump.
Other Prominent Fuel Scams
Magnets are only a page in the fuel scam playbook. As criminal enterprises grow in their sophistication, several alarming scams have arisen:
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Card Skimming and AI Card Skimming
You may be familiar with card skimming, or the act of installing a card reader over a pump terminal to capture card data. This scam alone is dangerous enough, having risen 77% in a single year.
You may not know about the latest evolution in the fuel scam saga: AI skimming. Using the latest AI technology, scammers use voice cloning to impersonate people you trust and steal your data. No fuel pump necessary.
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Card Cloning
If you randomly receive a fuel charge from 12 states away, you may be a victim of card cloning. By purchasing or skimming stolen information, thieves can duplicate fuel cards that are charged to the original card-holding carrier.
Often, the criminal may rack up expenses quickly, snowballing to tens of thousands of dollars in a short time, making this a particularly dangerous fuel scam.
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Fuel Advance Fraud
The adage, “if it’s too good to be true, it probably is,” is especially pertinent to generous fuel advances. If a broker is offering 40-50% via EFS code or Cash App, get suspicious. In this fuel scam, the code or check will often bounce, leaving your account in the negative.
These scams can be devastating, but when compounded with the sky-high diesel prices of 2026, fraud can be fatal to small carriers.
How the England Carrier Services Combats the Fuel Crisis
The England Carrier Services fuel card offers the best discounts at the most locations, at the lowest price.
Here are the details.
The Deepest Fuel Discounts in the Industry
- Save up to $2 for every gallon of fuel with the best discount fuel card available.
- Increase cash flow with a line of credit
- Rest easy with no annual or monthly fees
The Largest Fuel Network in the Country
- Save on fuel at over 900 locations
- Enjoy nationwide coverage at Love’s and TA-Petro
- Benefit from a network designed by those who know trucking at C.R. England, ensuring you’re supported wherever you go.
With the England Carrier Services fuel card, you can drastically reduce fuel costs while insulating yourself from fuel scams.
Fuel scams continue to evolve in their scope and complexity. As the freight industry navigates unprecedented fuel conditions, the England Carrier Services fuel card can keep gas in your tank.
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