Weird Behavior Noticed At Gas Station In Western New York

One gas station in Western New York is getting some heat on social media for a series of strange encounters. 

It didn’t used to be like this, but after several months of being unable to stop at the gas station across from Zorba’s, Jessica H decided to pop in to the Marathon Gas Station, located at 6257 Transit Rd in Depew. 

What Happened At The Gas Station?

Recently, Jessica H popped into the gas station to purchase two items, but things quickly got out of hand. She described the encounter via a Facebook post that was shared to the group Lancaster/Depew Neighbors Helping Neighbors. 

“I know the total should have been around $8, but it was $4. I asked him if he scanned both (more than once) but then the clerk proceeded to ask me if I’m working and if I’m working nearby,” Jessica wrote. 

After answering no, It became even stranger after that. 

“As I’m running my card thru the chip reader, he takes a photo of the item purchased and looks up at the camera in the corner of the store,” Jessica H wrote. 

After asking the price for the item, the clerk answered that it was $1.99, and he reasoned that the reason he took a photo of the item was because Jessica ordered the last two in stock. Once she was cashed out, Jessica walked to the parking lot and the clerk followed loosely behind. She alleges that as she was leaving, Jessica alleges she saw him with his phone, appearing to watch her drive away. 

“This just put a really weird vibe in my day,” Jessica wrote. 

It was a bit of an odd encounter, especially after asking her if she worked close by; however, she is not the only one who had a weird situation at the Marathon on Transit. 

Read More: How High Is NY's Gas Tax Compared To Other States In America

Another Weird Encounter Sets Off Alarm Bells

Natalie B recently stopped at this gas station to grab some Diet Coke, and she detailed the situation on the Lancaster/Depew Neighbors Helping Neighbors Facebook group. 

“I went to pay with a debit card,” she wrote. “The ‘cashier’ was weird and said that they close in 30 minutes.” 

“Then he spoke broken English and asked if I had money,” Natalie wrote. “He pointed to the ATM and said that could give me ‘lots.’”

After deciding to pay with cash, Natalie alleges that the clerk tried to get her to use credit or debit anyway. 

“It was so obnoxious and strange.”

The Main Concern With These Situations

Other people have seen these posts on Facebook and expressed concerns about skimming, which can be commonly found on gas pumps and other point-of-sale devices. They are usually installed by “bad guys” in areas that aren’t being closely monitored at all times of the day, so it can “allow thieves to take information off your card when you swipe it,” according to Reader’s Digest. 

Skimmers are typically so discreet that they often go unnoticed at first, but the weird events at the Marathon Gas on Transit Rd are causing more attention. If there is a credit card skimmer at the gas station, it could be a magnetic stripe reader which is placed on an existing, real card reader…so that when a customer pays by card, the information and data are read by both the skimmer (collecting your data) and the original reader (so the payment can be processed in real time). 

It might make sense why the clerk was pushing for Natalie to pay with a card after all or to use the ATM machine. 

Statement From The Gas Station

After multiple phone calls to the location, we were unable to reach the gas station to get an official statement about skimming. The phone continues to ring until it is a busy signal. 

If you feel like this gas station is skimming, or any others in the Western New York area, you can call the non-emergency line at  212-NEW-YORK (212-639-9675).