Skimmers Still a Problem in Florida

Statewide sweep of 6,000 gas stations found 81 skimming devices.

April 24, 2015

TALLAHASSEE — Yesterday, the Florida Agriculture Commissioner announced that his department had recently made a sweep of more than 6,000 gas stations throughout the state, leading to the discovery of credit card “skimmers” in 81 of those locations.

The devices were found on gas station pumps stretching from Miami-Dade County all the way to Florida’s Panhandle. Most of the devices were found at stations in South Florida, with 14 found in Miami-Dade and another 9 just north in Broward County. Commissioner Adam Putnam cautioned, however, that more rural areas of the state are by no means exempt from the ongoing problem.

Last month, state inspectors warned Tampa area consumers to watch for skimmers attached to gasoline pumps in the Tampa Bay area, following a sweep of 640 stations that recovered six skimming devices.

According to news reports, the recent sweeps have also discovered new, more advanced types of skimming devices on several pumps, showing that thieves are becoming more tech-savvy than in order to circumvent the security measures being put in place by retailers.

“Our inspectors will continue to work to safeguard Floridians and tourists who shouldn't have to worry about having their credit or debit card information stolen as they fuel-up,” said Putnam in a media statement.

Skimming devices have been a recurring problem in Florida, some suspect because criminals find the state’s high number of tourists to be an easier target. Over the past years, retailers nationwide have deployed a number of methods to help fight skimming fraud at their pumps.

One is using security tape over the pump. If that tape is broken, it alerts attendants that the pumps have been tampered with. Another is training attendants in what to look for on video. If someone is purposely blocking the pump from the video camera, it's a pretty good indicator that something may be wrong. Retailers are also encouraged to change the lock on gas pumps regularly.

Industry leaders are also working on a more technologically advanced way to combat skimming, for example credit-card readers that encrypt data. So when someone installs a skimmer device, the information comes back as scrambled numbers. That technology is still a few years away from implementation at gas stations.

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