Cheated truckers brought case against gas station

In North Carolina, one of the gas stations practiced schemes, doing up brown visitors, among them were truck drivers.

General Attorney, from North Carolina, Josh Stein is suing Mansa Travel Center Charlotte LLC for over-pricing during fuel shortages caused by a ransomware attack on a pipeline earlier this year.

Mansa Travel Center Charlotte LLC (also known as Queen’s Market), based in Charlotte, is charged with infringing prices in North Carolina when the Colonial Pipeline was shut down due to a ransomware attack in May.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper has declared a state of emergency for fuel shortages due to pipeline disruption.

According to the lawsuit, Queen’s Market has raised its prices to $ 3,197 per gallon for regular gasoline (up 19% before the pipeline shutdown), to $ 9,99 per gallon for the medium grade (up 278%) and to $ 9,99 per gallon on premium gasoline (up 256%), even though the filling station didn`t incur higher fuel costs.

In addition to legal fees and civil penalties, the claim requires reparations to customers.

“This gas station greatly inflated gas prices to take advantage of the pipeline shutdown and the desperation of people who were trying to buy fuel,” Stein said. “It is illegal for companies to use the state of emergency to cash in on their customers. I will do everything in my power to bring to justice those who inflate prices.”

TikTok user and trucker Clarissa Rankin drew attention to this issue after refueling her own car. Her video got almost 2,5 million views and was listed in a criminal lawsuit.