Fuel Sending Unit Screws too long and punctured top of fuel tank?

[Dbeckwith]

So, i've been chasing down a slight fuel smell since I inherited this car about a year and a half ago. It comes and goes, but is usually stronger when the tank is full or close to it.

With this being a boosted engine and i've been working with my tuner on knock sensor issues (a whole separate deal), I recently kept thinking that he just had it tuned really rich. However, I just got a notice in the mail for the EVAP Vapor Vent Tube warranty extension, and thought "that has to be it!".

I went into the local dealer here in Lafayette, IN and got some less than good news. He said he pressurized the fuel tank, and could tell there was a leak coming from the fuel sending unit hatch behind the passenger seat. Mind you, I'd actually just replaced the o-ring and the metal ring there thinking it might be the cause of the fuel smell. He told me the o-ring could have been pinched and that was the likely cause. I was frustrated as I'd just done the work, but really want to be rid of the smell so I said go ahead.

After he started to pull the ring off, they came back to me and said I need a new fuel tank. That someone had used non-stock small bolts instead of the oem screws that were a bit longer, and they had punctured the tank which was causing the leak.

I paid for the work that I'd already done myself earlier and left pretty angry in general. Now that i've had a bit more time to think it through, I'm not sure that I believe the punctured fuel tank thing? I'm hopping down to the garage shortly to see if I can grab some pics, but is this a realistic scenario?

Thanks for the sanity checks!

TLDR; if someone use longer screws to hold the fuel sending unit to the fuel tank, could those 'puncture' the tank causing fuel vapor and liquid leaks?