Many petrol attendants across Nigeria have been found manipulating fuel pumps to shortchange customers, cheating millions of litres of petrol yearly.
Investigations reveal several deceptive methods used by attendants, often driven by low wages and economic hardship.
One common trick is distraction, where attendants divert customers’ attention during refueling to manipulate meters unnoticed.
Another scheme involves pre-setting pumps to fixed amounts, but topping up fuel manually in inaccurate quantities, delivering less than paid for.
Some attendants use remote-controlled pumps that feed fuel from one meter but display higher amounts on another, deceiving consumers.
Other tactics include switching rapidly between multiple customers on the same pump without resetting meters, or charging extra during POS transactions through false claims of payment errors.
Cases have emerged of customers being billed higher than the actual fuel dispensed. These scams become more intense during petrol scarcity periods.
Reports show that while major marketers like NNPC and MRS mostly maintain accurate, unmanipulated pumps, many independent marketers are guilty of extortion, leading motorists to prefer reputable major filling stations.
Regulatory bodies like the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) face challenges with inadequate personnel and limited presence at stations to enforce compliance.
Consumer complaints about pump manipulation and fuel extortion are widespread, causing loss of trust especially towards independent marketers. Efforts are ongoing from industry players to enforce fuel pump integrity and protect consumers.
Key methods of manipulation to watch for include lack of pump meter reset, inconsistent fuel dispensing speeds, use of multiple customers on one pump transaction, and unexplained discrepancies in POS payments.
Consumers are advised to always observe pump readings carefully and insist on receipts to avoid being cheated.
