17-0714
“We don’t know how long it was in there…”
ALERT: CARD SKIMMER IN GAS PUMP; INVESTIGATORS CAUTION MOTORISTS
By Marc Robertson
The La Salle County Sheriff’s Office is assisting in an investigation into who may have installed a credit card reader inside a gas pump at a truck stop in Cotulla and how long the device has been fraudulently skimming customers’ card numbers.
A preliminary report on the case Friday, July 14, from Sheriff’s Investigator Homar Olivarez and Cpl. Anthony Zertuche indicates that the manager of the Exxon station at the intersection of IH-35 and FM 468 was alerted to the presence of a foreign device in one of the station’s pumps when it became apparent that the pump housing had been opened and a seal had been broken.
The discovery was made during an examination of pumps that are scheduled to be replaced.
A card skimmer is used by thieves to obtain active credit or debit card numbers from shoppers and then to drain individual accounts before cardholders are aware that their account security has been compromised.
Officers examining the device have indicated that the card skimmer had been installed inside the pump housing, not in the exterior portion of the credit card slot, and that whoever planted the device inside the gas pump may have had a master key and will have had advance knowledge of the pump’s interior in order to wire the skimmer accurately.
“In this case, it appears that someone wired a single card skimmer into one of the gas pumps at that particular store,” Cpl. Zertuche said of the case presently under investigation. “We don’t know how long it was in there, and we don’t know yet whether skimmers have been installed at other gas stations in this area.”
The sheriff’s office is issuing a caution to all motorists to take extra protective measures for the security of their credit and debit cards at all area gas stations and retail stores. When possible, cardholders should pay for their fuel with their cards inside a store and ensure that the cards remain in view at all times. Cardholders should also keep a close eye on their accounts and immediately report any unauthorized activity.
REVISED VERSION
The La Salle County Sheriff’s Office is assisting in an investigation into who may have installed a credit card reader in a gas pump at a truck stop in Cotulla and how long the device has been fraudulently skimming customers’ card numbers.
A preliminary report on the case Friday, July 14, from Sheriff’s Investigator Homar Olivarez and Cpl. Anthony Zertuche indicates that the manager of a gas station at the intersection of IH-35 and FM 468 was alerted to the presence of a foreign device in one of the station’s pumps during an examination of pumps that are scheduled to be replaced.
A card skimmer is used by thieves to obtain active credit or debit card numbers from shoppers and then to drain individual accounts before cardholders are aware that their account security has been compromised.
“In this case, it appears that someone installed a single card skimmer in one of the gas pumps at that particular store,” Cpl. Zertuche said of the case presently under investigation. “We don’t know how long it was in there, and we don’t know yet whether skimmers have been installed at other gas stations in this area.”
The sheriff’s office is issuing a caution to all motorists to take extra protective measures for the security of their credit and debit cards at all area gas stations and retail stores. When possible, cardholders should pay for their fuel with their cards inside a store and ensure that the cards remain in view at all times. Cardholders should also keep a close eye on their accounts and immediately report any unauthorized activity.