Retailers Turn to Customer Profiling as Fuel Drive-Offs Surge Nationwide
Petrol retailers admit to profiling customers before unlocking pumps as drive-off thefts increase by 100 per week due to soaring global oil prices in 2026.
By: AXL Media
Published: Apr 23, 2026, 4:53 AM EDT
Source: RNZ Pacific
Profiling at the Pump: A Risky Defensive Strategy
In an effort to mitigate mounting financial losses, service station staff are increasingly using visual assessments to decide whether to activate fuel pumps. Baltej Singh Dhaliwal, an Auckland-based station owner in Mangere, confirmed that his team is instructed to scrutinize every customer before allowing them to fill their tanks. This unofficial policy aims to identify high-risk behavior before a theft can occur, essentially placing the burden of "risk control" on frontline retail staff.
However, the strategy has proven fallible. Dhaliwal recounted a recent incident involving a driver in a late-model Mitsubishi Outlander with professional taxi branding. Despite the driver wearing a suit and driving a seemingly legitimate commercial vehicle, they fled the station after filling the tank with nearly $200 of petrol. Subsequent investigations revealed the vehicle was using stolen or fraudulent license plates, highlighting the limitations of visual profiling against sophisticated or desperate offenders.
The Impact of Global Geopolitics on Local Prices
The surge in domestic fuel theft is directly linked to the 2026 Iran war, which has caused unprecedented disruption in the global oil market. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz—a transit point for approximately 20% of the world's oil—sent Brent crude prices soaring, with New Zealand feeling the impact acutely. Data from Stats NZ indicates that petrol prices rose nearly 19% in a single month, while diesel saw a staggering 43% increase compared to February levels.
These market conditions have created a "perfect storm" for retailers. While police have laid over 370 charges related to fuel theft since last month, the volume of offending continues to grow. For small, independent franchisees, a single $200 drive-off can wipe out an entire day's profit margin. Amit Khanna, a station owner in Hamilton, argued that while only a tiny fraction of the 500 daily customers are "bad actors," the financial weight of their actions falls squarely on small business owners rather than the large oil corporates.