Shirley Warns Of Skimming At Gas Station Pumps

Stephens County Sheriff Randy Shirley is warning area residents about a problem that a couple of area residents have already fallen victim to after traveling that could make its way to this area.

Shirley said his office received the reports recently from two individuals who fell victim to skimming at gas station pumps.

“We had two individuals that reported to the Sheriff’s Office that their debit card had been fraudulently used,” said Shirley. “Both individuals had gassed up in South Carolina.”

Shirley said skimming is hard to detect in advance and is a growing problem.

“They install (the skimmer) by using a master key that you can buy off the Internet illegally that fits most all of the gas pumps,” said Shirley. “It only takes them less a minute to install the scanner that takes information off the magnetic strip off your debit or credit card.”

Shirley said there are a number of different things people can do to try and keep from being a victim of skimming.

One is to go inside and pay the attendant for gas.

He said that it is also important to check credit and debit card statements regularly to make sure that nobody has gotten your card information and been using your card.

The sheriff also said that if someone does fall victim to skimming or some other similar scam, they need to contact their local law enforcement agency immediately, in addition to letting the gas station attendant know.