COLORADO SPRINGS- Crooks are stealing your credit card and banking information at the gas pump. Card skimmers were found at gas pumps in Monument recently, but we spoke with El Paso County Sheriff’s investigators and they say devices like this are being planted inside of gas pumps across Southern Colorado in a matter of seconds and the crooks are making a lot of money doing it.
The most recent discovery of gas pump skimmers happened at the Diamond Shamrock on Baptist Road near I-25. The skimmers are used to take your credit and debit card information so the criminals can steal your money or commit identity theft.
The manager says his employees always inspect the pumps for skimmers and when they found the devices they quickly contacted police. He says some gas stations won’t report skimmers to law enforcement because of bad publicity, but he felt it was the right thing to do to raise awareness and protect customers.
There still haven’t been any arrests and that is often the case with these crimes. So what can we do to protect ourselves?
TIPS FOR AVOIDING GAS PUMP SKIMMERS
1. Choose a pump closest to the store. The crooks often plan skimmers on pumps that are the most out of sight.
2. Look the pump over, if anything looks out of place or off tell the clerk inside.
3. Use a credit card instead of a debit card. A skimmer can take your card information and pin number giving the criminals direct access to your bank account.
4. Get a receipt. this protects you and helps law enforcement to figure out where your information was compromised.
5. Check for unknown Bluetooth Signals. Skimmers are often Bluetooth capable. if you detect an odd signal on your phone or in your car, report it.
6. Pay inside- Use the chip reader or cash if possible.
For more resources or to report a scam visit bbb.org
