Listen Live

10/22/21 - State finds several card skimmers

Friday, October 22, 2021 at 5:53 AM

file photo

A number of credit card skimmers were found at area gas stations.

(WOODTV) — State officials are reminding drivers to be observant when they fill up their tanks and keep an eye out for credit card skimmers after a recent sweep discovered several of the devices at gas stations around the lower part of the state.

The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development says it found skimmers at eight gas stations, including three in West Michigan:

A map shows where MDARD found credit card skimmers in a recent inspection sweep.

The skimmers were discovered during what MDARD called a “routine inspection blitz.”

Crooks hide skimmer devices, which copy your credit or debit card information, inside gas pumps. They can then use the information to clone the card and make fraudulent purchases with your account.

Many gas stations check frequently for skimmers and mark pumps with special tape to show they haven’t been tampered with — but then it’s on customers to make sure that tape is intact before they insert their cards.

“The station owners had security measures in place to protect their patrons such as security tape,” Craig VanBuren, MDARD’s Lab Division director, said in a Thursday statement. “Unfortunately, the thieves cut, broke, or removed the tape. It is important that both the stations and customers remain vigilant at the pump when using a bank or credit card.”

To make sure you don’t fall victim to a skimmer, confirm the tape on the pump hasn’t been tampered with. If it has been removed, it will change color or read “VOID.” If the tape looks iffy, don’t insert your card and tell the station attendant.

Try to park at a pump that faces the gas station convenience store; crooks may not target those pumps for fear of being spotted by a worker. You can also choose to pay inside.

It’s a good habit to frequently check your credit card and bank statements to make sure no one else is using your information. If you notice something incorrect on your statement and think you may be the victim of a skimmer, call your credit card provider, local law enforcement or the MDARD Weights and Measures Division at 517.655.8202.

 

Share

More from Local

On Air Now Afternoons with Steve & Kathy
Don't Fight Alone Jon Reddick 3:26pm
How Far Tasha Layton 3:22pm
Encouraging Words From Your Bible

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

ROMANS 12:2 | NLT
Family-Friendly Commercial-Free
91.3 WCSG
Grand Rapids / Lakeshore
88.3 WCXK
Kalamazoo
90.9 WCFG
Battle Creek
89.9 WCXB
Benton Harbor

Search 91.3 WCSG