Skimming Devices Found At Multiple Dallas Gas Pumps; Customers Urged To Be Vigilant About Credit/Bank Statements

Authorities in Dallas have found several sophisticated credit card skimming devices inside gas pumps – three times in roughly two weeks.

It’s an old problem that’s got a new twist to it. The problem with this new method is that the credit card numbers are being remotely downloaded.

Commander of the Financial Crimes Unit Lt. Tony Crawford said criminals are taking steps to ensure no fingerprints are detected by using shrink wrapping. He said criminals know what they’re doing.

It was July 19 when the first devices were discovered at an Exxon gas station in the city. Apparently, two illegal credit card scanning devices had been attached to hardware within two gas pumps, which were also affixed to the machine’s internal wiring.

Customers began complaining pumps were freezing up, which is when a technician came out and discovered the devices.

One customer, Candi Judd, said she visits one of the affected gas stations on a regular basis. Judd said she looked inside the slot where the credit card goes to see if there was anything odd but saw nothing since the skimming devices were in the pump.

She said the situation was a little scary.

Judd said her son’s debit card had a plethora of fraudulent charges, and she wondered how they got his number and stole hundreds of dollars out of his account.

Another skimming device was found on July 24 at another Exxon gas station, which has been directly wired to the gas pump’s circuit board. Three Dallas 7-Eleven gas pumps were also found to have scanning devices.

There are no suspects, and police don’t know how long the pumps have been affected. According to authorities, it’s easy to access the gas pumps, using unique keys that can access thousands of pumps.

According to the Secret Service, consumers lose about over $3 billion a year due to skimming.