Agents from the Higher Headquarters of the National Police of La Rioja have arrested a 35-year-old man, originally from Colombia and resident in La Rioja, for a crime of fraud in which he managed to steal more than 500 liters of fuel, equivalent to about 800 euros.
This incident, called Operation Hexeno, took place at a service station in Logroño, where the detainee, taking advantage of his access to remote controls due to his job as a fuel pump installer, manipulated the dispensers to obtain free fuel not only for himself. but also for some friends.
As reported by Europa Press, the detainee’s modus operandi consisted of misusing the remote controls of the gasoline pumps, which he had by his profession, since he was dedicated to installing them and knew the procedure.
These remote controls are usually only used to unlock the jets for inspection and maintenance purposes. To activate them you have to enter PIN codes which, due to the negligence of some gas station owners, are not changed after the initial installation.
The fraud was committed at a gas station in Logroño, where the accused took advantage of the fact that the owner of the gas station did not change the codes so, with his technical knowledge, he could perform several free refuelings.
In this sense, the arrest of this man is accompanied by an important security lesson: those responsible for the stations must periodically update the passwords of the pump unlocking system to avoid possible vulnerabilities.