More gas pump credit-card skimmers found in Arizona, over 70 found this year
Oct 28, 2016, 11:33 AM
(AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)
(AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)
PHOENIX — More gas pump credit-card skimming devices are showing up across Arizona.
The Department of Agriculture said it found 30 new skimmers in the past two months alone. Michelle Wilson, the department’s associate director of the Division of Weights and Measures, said the agency has been monitoring this kind of theft device for the past decade and it’s on the rise.
“We’ve accounted for a handful each year – maybe five to ten or so,” she said. “This year, we’re up to 78 already.”
Wilson said the machines can be installed in eight seconds by experienced thieves.
The information is usually used to clone a credit card. For this reason, Wilson recommended customers use either cash or a credit card with a low limit. Never use a debit card, she said.
“If they get your debit card number, [thieves] have access to empty out all the cash in your account,” she said.
To see a list of the intersections where affected gas stations were found, click here.
