Thieves using aluminium foil to steal gas along state line

MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. -- Business isn't what it used to be for Syed Rizvi.

"There's credit card protection for the consumers, but they haven't done anything to protect the business owners," said Rizvi.

Rizvi owns the Mobil just feet from the Indiana/Michigan state line.

He said his gas station is an easy target for Michigan crooks.

"It's hard to survive," said Rizvi.

For the past six months, thieves have gotten away with thousands of dollars worth of gas.

One person waits at the pump, while the other person hops onto nearby air conditioners, and then onto the roof, covering the antennae with foil, disrupting the signal.

The cost of the stolen gas then gets passed down to owners like Rizvi.

"We are the middle man, we don't make money anyways," said Rizvi. "But if we lose like that, it hurts a lot."

He plans on adding new security cameras and is talking with his insurance company, but they need a paper trail to compensate him.

That isn't so easy, he said.

"All these big companies are the ones getting the big shares out of it, and letting the small businesses get crunched."

A crunch he hopes to survive.