JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Five people in Jacksonville are charged with conspiracy and fraud in connection with a suspected credit card skimmer ring.
Prosecutors said the devices were installed at several local gas stations.
“When you’re the victim of fraud, it can go on for years. Once you lose control of that information, it truly is, it’s a burden that you have to carry as a consumer for so long,” News4JAX Crime and Safety Analyst, Tom Hackney, said.
Stories like this are becoming all too common, and the people responsible know exactly what they’re doing.
“It’s so very hard to tell a legitimate from one of their scam machines that come through here,” Hackney said.
But there are several ways people can protect their cards at the pump.
First and foremost, take a good look at the pump.
Make sure nothing looks altered, specifically, look around the area where you would swipe your debit card. You can wiggle the card reader to make sure it is secure. If it moves, or if it’s sticking out in a way it shouldn’t go and tell an employee.
Pumps should also have stickers telling drivers what to do to avoid being scammed.
There should also be a security seal over the cabinet panel.
You can tell if it has been tampered with if it says “void.”
According to the indictment, the suspected skimming ring targeted local gas stations between November 2020 and March 2022.
The defendants are accused of putting skimmers on gas pumps and then using stolen information to make counterfeit credit cards. Those cards were used to make ATM withdrawals and buy gas. There were at least nine purchases or withdrawals of $100.
RELATED | Interactive map shows where every local credit card skimmer was found in 2019
Other things to consider when you’re getting gas: Use a credit card instead of a debit card so you don’t need to use your PIN, consider paying inside and regularly monitor your bank account for anything fishy.
“If you can avoid using an insert and try to start using the taps, again it’s less information that is given. And especially if there’s something that involves having to input a PIN,” Hackney said.
But what if the skimmer is inside the store at the cash register? Skimmers were discovered inside three different Harvey’s supermarkets last year in Jacksonville.
“The money is the objective in these guys. They have an underground economy and an underground culture and information system,” Cybersecurity Consultant, Christopher Hamer, said.
Hamer said keeping tabs on your information is key. Here are some other useful tips:
- Always pay attention to your bank statements and balances
- Set up alerts for your credit card. This way, you’ll get notifications for your transactions
- If this is an option at your bank, you can set up specific use cards that have limits on them
“Go to another teller, go to another gas station if you just don’t feel right. Don’t follow through on it because the only one that’s gonna get hurt is you,” Hamer said.