JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – No one wants to lose money. Which is why if you’ve ever been a victim of a credit card skimmer at a gas station it can be frustrating.
According to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, 94 skimmers were found across Northeast Florida in 2019.
An interactive map created by News4Jax shows exactly where the skimmers were found last year. Everywhere from Jacksonville Beach to Mandarin and beyond.
Duval County had the most skimmers found in the area however, Lake City had repeat offenders.
At One-Stop Chevron on US HWY 441 a skimmer was found on a pump in January. One month later, another skimmer was found on the same pump.
“Every single skimmer is $1 million of fraud on a consumer,” said Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services Nikki Fried.
Fried shared tips on how avoid your credit card being skimmed.
“There’s typically a sticker that goes over where the keyholes are, make sure that hasn’t been tampered with. Take a look into the actual machine itself and make sure there’s nothing else in there. Don’t use debit cards. Debit cards don’t have fraud alerts, your credit cards do.”
Another easy tip: Pick pumps closer to the store.
For more information visit the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services website.