EDMONTON — Fuel prices may have dropped dramatically in the last few months, but not entirely enough for thieves, it seems.

Southern Alberta police report an uptick in fuel thefts at remote, unmanned cardlock locations around Edmonton and Calgary.

Moreover, thieves are breaking into transport trucks to steal their fuel cards for the pumps, which they’ll siphon fuel from and put it into storage tanks.

Diesel and gas theft was especially rampant during the summer when prices were in the buck-fifty-per-liter range — providing a good return on the black market — but the scammers haven’t slowed down too much now that pump prices are nearly half that.

It’s still an "easy crime" for "easy money," Det. Rob Bilawey of the Edmonton Police tells The Sun. "You’d be surprised by the number of (trucking) companies that actually just have a little sticky note on the back of the card with the four-digit number. It’s not rocket science to figure out what it’s for."

Police say almost every cardlock in Edmonton has been hit. Fuel can sell for as low as half the pump price on the street. Some thieves resell the fuel cards.

— with files from the Edmonton Sun