County auditor Carri Brown says to be aware of card simmers at local gas station pumps
LANCASTER − A person can become a crime victim just by filling up their vehicle at the gas station.
That's because criminals sometimes put skimmers on the gas pumps which steal a customer's credit or debit card information.
Fairfield County Auditor Carri Brown said there have been no reports of skimming here. But she said there have been reports in other parts of the state and Ohio. Therefore, her office released a public service video on the county auditor's website to increase awareness of the crime. The video can be found at https://youtu.be/I47XOQ-22hw.
"A skimmer at a gas station pump is a false keypad, or perhaps a fake point-of-sale device," Brown said. "Criminals use these devices to access your credit card data while you are using your credit card at a gas station pump. It can be really difficult to know if there's a skimmer at a point of sale. It could be something that's inside or outside of a pump."
She said the technology for this type of crime is relatively simple to obtain and that it is similar to Bluetooth technology. Brown said to look for broken security seals on the pumps, which can be a clue someone has tampered with the pump. She said that sometimes thieves will place a fake keypad over the legitimate keypad on a pump.
"It could be really difficult to tell if there's a skimmer at the point of sale," Brown said. "But some retailers put seals on the pump and you can see if the seal has been broken."
To help lessen the chances of being a skimming victim, Brown suggested using cash instead of a card and using a pump closer to the entrance of a station since criminals would probably want to put a skimmer on a pump that is not as visible.
Additionally, when using a card Brown said it's best to use a credit card instead of a debit card. She said it's easier to track issues on a credit card than on a debit card.
Brown also said people should monitor their monthly card statements closely to quickly find fraudulent activity.
jbarron@gannett.com
740-681-4340
Twitter/X: @JeffDBarron
This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: County auditor warns of credit card skimmers at gas pumps
