12/16/2009 6:00:00 AM
Police find skimmers, but damage already done
Devices for stealing credit card information discovered at 2 Kingman gas stations
| |
|
 |
Courtesy
Authorities handle a credit card skimmer found recently in a gas pump at a station on Beale Street. |
|
KINGMAN - Those who paid at the pump while filling their tank at two gas stations along Beale Street in the last four months are being advised to check their credit card statements.
Citigroup and Discover credit services have identified dozens of accounts that were compromised through the use of a skimming device at the pump at the Exxon station at 999 W. Beale Street and the Chevron station across the street.
Police believe the skimming devices were installed in July, but the crooks didn't actually begin accessing the accounts until September.
Skimmers work by grabbing information off of credit or debit cards when they are scanned at the pump or an ATM machine.
In most cases, the skimmers are wired into the card reader out of view of the patron.
The suspects then take those numbers and stamp their own credit cards, which can be used anywhere.
Card numbers stolen from the Kingman gas stations have been tracked to purchases made at Walmart, Walgreen's and various restaurants in Phoenix.
The Kingman Police Department was notified of the fraud after being contacted by a Las Vegas representative from Citigroup working out of the company's loss prevention division.
Sgt. Bob Fisk said that one of the devices was hooked into the keypad at the pump, meaning that pin numbers from debit cards could also be compromised.
The crooks gain access inside the pumps using keys that can be bought off the Internet, Fisk said. The suspects usually install the devices out of view of the clerks and oftentimes at night.
Installation takes less than a minute, Fisk said.
"In 15 seconds, they're in and done," he said.
The suspects are taking advantage of technology, using Bluetooth-enabled devices so that they can download the stolen credit card numbers remotely without having to return to the scene of the actual device.
The chances of tracking down the suspects is unlikely, Fisk said. Most credit card users are reimbursed for the fraudulent charges, meaning the companies eat the costs.
Banks and gas stations are now becoming more vigilant to the crime, Fisk said, with some owners installing alarms that go off when a pump or ATM is tampered with.
Consumers can protect themselves by paying the clerk inside and monitoring monthly statements for any red flags. Individuals should also report suspicious card readers at ATM machines and gas pumps to the property owner and police.
|
Posted: Sunday, December 20, 2009
Article comment by:
Donald
@ Joe; Some years back I was outside the house when some men aproached saying that they had some "leftover" materials from a previous job and that they would like to do some roof repairs on my house, (which it did not need). I told them that I was a renter (not true) and that I could not authorize nor spend money on property which was not mine. Somehow they were not convinced, nevertheless they left. I was already familiar with the "leftover" material scam. One has to be wary of the scammers and outsmart them.
Posted: Sunday, December 20, 2009
Article comment by:
Joe
Some Gypsies came here from Vegas the other day to do paintless dent removal on my car. They took money, made the dents 'outies' and damaged the paint. I called the police but this didn't make the papers. Like the poster said, there's all kinds of stuff going on here that never makes the paper.
By the way, anybody recommend a good autobody repair person to now fix the damage done, and for kinda cheap?
Posted: Thursday, December 17, 2009
Article comment by:
Erick
When did they discover the skimmers?
Posted: Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Article comment by:
Kingman Resident
Do you realize that the 911 report in the paper is always the MCSO...never the KPD!! I have to agree there is more going on than the paper is reporting. I wonder too...if it was an inside job? That station isn't one of the most popular places to get gas...since their prices are about 50 cents more than others.
Posted: Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Article comment by:
Me
John... it's the Kingman Daily Miner that's why it took so long... need I say more.
Posted: Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Article comment by:
Factchecker
@ jim
Exxon and Mobil are the same company. It's ExxonMobil NYSE: XOM
Good try though
Posted: Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Article comment by:
B00-Watcher
Go buy a police scanner. These & many crimes you don't read about are happening every day in Kingman. Mail thieves are 'everywhere'. Fraud is happening hourly. Violence every 1/2 hour. If everyone listened, we'd all wanna be armed all of the time like me.
Posted: Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Article comment by:
Just sayin'
Hey Jim, Mobil is Exxon. The same company owns both brands.
Posted: Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Article comment by:
No name provided
Yavapai County Attorneys office put this same article out almost word for word more than a week ago thru an email. Do you think since the papers are owned by the same people this is where our news comes from? The only difference is they list the merchants account number which was scammed and it said it was the Exxon station also.
Posted: Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Article comment by:
Donald
@ John; You are so correct. These crooks are probably still around carrying their "business" as if nothing has happened. So a couple of gas stations were compromised, it means nothing, after all since they got more out than they put in. It's the price of doing "business". After all, there are more places to do their "business" in.
Posted: Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Article comment by:
Gun Owner
Is it legal to shoot somebody if you catch them installing a "Skimmer"?
Posted: Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Article comment by:
jim
According to Google, 999 W Beale is a Mobil station. What else did you guys get wrong?
Posted: Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Article comment by:
No name provided
How the hell are they able to access(according to above photo)the inside of a pump,unless it is an inside job or an employee even "turning" their head?Come on,are we ALL idiots?I think NOT.
Posted: Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Article comment by:
Darla
I suspect this is what happened to me in Oct. when my account was robbed for just over $1350 for three different charges. Two of them were to a company called U-Loop, and another to a foreign parts warehouse in Australia. They even tacked on a foreign transaction fee. Thank goodness I am diligent about my finances and discovered the fraud the day they hit my account. My bank was quick and thorough in handling the situation and returning my funds in a timely manner. Still, had I not had the money in my account to cover the fraud I would have bounced bills. I never found out who was responsible for this, but I have always suspected it was somewhere I'd swiped my debit card. I think an alarm system on all pumps is a great idea!
Posted: Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Article comment by:
Kingman Resident
I guess I won't go to those service stations. Yet...better yet, maybe I will pay cash each time I get gas!!
|
|
Article Comment Submission Form
|
|
