
Beware of Dangerous ‘Sliders’ When Pumping Your Gas in Idaho
We don’t know about you, but filling up the tank is one of those “adulting chores” that ranks right up there with folding fitted sheets or battling soap scum in your shower. It’s even worse when you have to stand out in the cold, grey, windy yuck that is winter in Idaho.
How many times have you driven past a gas station on your way home from the world's longest workday, looked at your tank on E and said to yourself “I’ll just get gas in the morning?” The next morning, you back out of the garage, look at that gauge again and have instant regret. Why? Because now it’s 19 degrees and you get to spend three frigid minutes outside the car as it fills from empty.
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What if we told you chattering teeth and watery eyes weren’t the worst thing that could happen to you during that early morning fill-up? A criminal trend called “sliding” is making national headlines and it could very well happen at the Jacksons or Maverick in your neighborhood.
What are “Sliders?”
Typically, when crimes at Idaho gas stations make the headlines it’s tied to skimming devices being found on pumps. Search through Google and you’ll see years of headlines about skimmers found in Boise, Meridian, Idaho Falls, Post Falls, Twin Falls…the list goes on. Those skimming devices steal your credit card information and allow thieves to use your card's info to make fraudulent purchases. “Sliders” commit their crimes in a much more analog way.

During a “sliding crime” a car will pull up next to yours while you’re looking at the pump, with your back turned to your vehicle. The thief will slip out of the door of their vehicle and into your unlocked front seat to grab your purse, backpack, briefcase or anything they deem valuable while you’re distracted by the pump. They’ll then slide back into their car and drive off with your stuff.
Some don’t stop there. Did you leave your keys in the ignition or that keyless fob in your cup holder? Some “sliders” are so brazen that they’ll steal the entire vehicle. It happens so quickly that you don’t even realize it’s happening until your car speeds off while you’re standing outside it. Here’s a look at the crime in action.
Snopes, which confirmed that these crimes are very real, explains that these thieves often target women because we’re terrible about leaving our purses on the front seat in an unlocked car, sometimes with the window down, while we’re pumping gas.
Law enforcement reminds you to lock your doors and roll your windows up while you’re pumping if you’re leaving it inside the car. Better yet, they say take it with you even if you’re only going to be outside the vehicle for a few minutes.
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Gallery Credit: Michelle Heart