New Albany police investigate “card skimmer” on local gasoline pump

The New Albany Police Department is investigating a possible card skimmer that was discovered by a customer at one of the local gas station pumps. According to Police Chief Chris Robertson, this is the first incident like this for over a year.

Unfortunately, this issue has become all too familiar for individuals like me, who had my card cloned and used to buy groceries, flatscreen TVs from Walmart, and even pay light bills. After reporting the crime both to the bank and police department, I was able to recover some of the money. But due to proximity it became hard to prove that I did not give my card away willingly, as I frequently shop in the area where the card was used fraudulently. The criminals still managed to gain access to around $2,000 within two days, before anyone noticed anything suspicious on my account balance statement.

Forbes Magazine offers this advice for spotting a card skimmer on a gasoline pump:

“Although skimmers can be hard to spot, it’s possible to identify a skimming device by doing a visual and physical inspection.

“Before using an ATM or gas pump, check for alignment issues between the card reader and the panel underneath it. Skimmers are often placed on top of the actual card reader making it stick out at an odd angle or cover arrows in a panel. Compare the card reader to others at a neighboring ATM or gas pump and look out for any differences.

“Gas pumps should have a security tape or sticker over the cabinet panel. If the tape looks ripped or broken, avoid using the card reader, because a thief may have tampered with it. Try looking inside the card reader to see if anything is already inserted—if there is, it may be a thin plastic circuit board that can steal card information.

“A physical inspection of a card reader and keypad can often reveal fraudulent devices. Feel around the reader and try to wiggle it to see if it can easily come out of place. 

“Authentic card readers are robustly manufactured, meaning if any part of the card reader can easily move around, then it’s probably been installed illegally by a thief. If the buttons on an ATM’s keypad are too hard to push, don’t use that ATM and try another one.”

As Chief Robertson stresses: “Pay attention your surroundings, pay attention who’s watching you; just pay attention when it comes down using your card at gas pump or retail stores.”

Report any suspicious devices to the store itself and to local law enforcement.

–Kendall Stancil