More Credit Card Skimmers Found at Florida Gas Station

The discovery follows the discovery earlier this month of three skimming devices found at two other stations off Interstate-75

July 27, 2010

GAINESVILLE, FL - Two credit card skimming devices were found last week at a Gainesville, Florida gas station off Interstate-75, prompting local authorities to warn residents about paying at the pump at any area station, the Gainesville Sun reports.

"The Alachua County Sheriff's Office cannot guarantee the security of the citizens' personal credit card information at the gas pumps in Alachua County," said Lt. Steve Maynard, a spokesperson for the sheriff's Office.

Last week€™s discovery follows the discovery earlier this month of three skimming devices at two other stations off Interstate-75. Subsequent to that discovery, authorities checked all gas stations at major interchanges along I-75 in Alachua County and found no additional skimmers. That indicates the devices had been recently installed at the Gainesville station.

Maynard said that authorities lack the resources to check stations daily and therefore recommend that residents pay inside by cash or credit to ensure the safety of their credit card details.

"The gas station ownership and management have to take responsibility for protecting their customers and checking their pumps on a daily basis," he said.

The most recent skimmers were found by station employees, and Gainesville police spokesperson Cpl. Tscharna Senn advised residents to check their credit card statement for any illegal activity.

"We don't know for sure when these skimmers were put in, so we are asking everyone to be diligent about checking their credit card statement for the last month or so," Senn said.

Read more about credit card skimming devices.

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