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DETROIT, Michigan (WWJ) — The Fowlerville Police Department in Michigan is warning drivers to inspect fuel pumps before using them after officers discovered a tampering scheme at a local gas station — even as the fact-checking website Snopes has labeled similar claims a hoax.
Police said someone drilled a small hole into a pump’s nozzle holder and inserted a screw, preventing the safety latch from detecting that the nozzle had been replaced. That allows the next customer’s fuel purchase to be charged to the previous customer’s transaction. The suspect can then return, remove the screw and pump fuel for free at someone else’s expense, police said.
Snopes, which tracks the veracity of online information, said earlier this year that rumors about inserting screws into gas pump nozzle holders to obtain free gas were a hoax.
Despite that assessment, Fowlerville police said the scheme was discovered at a local station and urged drivers to check pumps for a screw, hole or other signs of tampering before fueling.
Anyone who notices something unusual should avoid the pump, alert a gas station attendant and use a different pump if possible, police said.
The warning comes as Michigan drivers, like motorists nationwide, continue to face volatile fuel costs. The national average for a gallon of gas topped $4 again on Monday as fighting between the U.S. and Iran escalated.
Prices have swung sharply over the past year, from a post-pandemic low near $3 in early 2026 to a high of $4.56 in May as the conflict disrupted global oil supplies.
Economists have said the run-up in fuel costs is likely to leave drivers paying more at the pump for months even if the conflict eases.
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