At a Shell gas station on Gunn Highway in Tampa the manager discovered the credit card skimmer on his pumps.
Now the owner there is fighting back against the thieves by installing extra cameras peering down onto the pumps to protect his customers against the new wave of organized crime hitting random gas stations all over Tampa Bay.
Credit car skimmers can instantly swipe your financial data. The small electronic device records information from a card’s magnetic strip. They are hard to find but easy to install and it only takes minutes.
Some skimmers can wirelessly transmit stolen information to the bad guy's smartphone. And it can happen at any gas station anywhere.
The skimming devices are showing up all over the state. So far this year, state officials have discovered more than 250 skimmers.
The manager at that gas station in Tampa says not only did they install extra cameras to catch these skimming devices, they now check their pumps three times a day to make sure they are skimmer-free.
To learn more about the best practices to avoid how skimmers and how to spot them yourself visit the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services wesbite.
