By JAMES BELL
Hays Post
Devices used to steal information from pay-at-the-pump locations have been reported in Hays in recent weeks.
“Somebody had used their card at a local gas station,” said Hays Police Department Lt. Brandon Wright. “Then their card’s numbers were used elsewhere.”
Two official reports have been made to the department, stemming from a Hays location. In one case, the information was used to complete a fraudulent purchase.
The reports indicated the information was stolen from pumps at Casey’s Convenience Store, 1600 E. 27th, but Wright said no evidence of the skimmer was found after the fraudulent activity was reported on April 4.
The reporting party said the card had been used at the location on March 31, and activity appeared on April 1.
"The business had already been alerted by a customer of theirs that did not make a report with us that there had been an attempt on their card after using it at their store," Wright said. "And the business had already gone through their machines to verify there wasn't anything in there. "
He said they did not find the skimmers at that time.
"I think that's pretty common that by the time it gets reported, it's really easy for them to have already removed the device and moved on," Wright said.
While there is no known ongoing threat to the public from the compromised pumps now, he said skimmers are continuing to become more complex, making it hard to detect by operators and customers.
“They will come, and they will put the device inside the machine,” Wright said. “The days of having a skimmer on the outside of the machines as camouflage to kind of look like the card slot and reading the card as it's passing through — that's not how it's done anymore.”
He said skimmer devices commonly used now are placed inside the machines, making them increasingly hard to detect.
“Some of them will transmit the information,” Wright said. “So the bad guy doesn't even have to go back to the machine to get the info, it'll Bluetooth it or transmit in ways like that. And they can just be in the area and get the information wirelessly.”
Others will hold the information locally until it is retrieved, but he said in either case, they are often removed after a short time in order to be moved to another location.
“Even on the ones that are wireless and they will send the information out, the bad guy wants that back,” Wright said. “Otherwise, they got to make another one or buy another one.”
Another factor that creates difficulty for law enforcement and operators to stop skimmer activity is the speed in which newer devices can be applied.
"It can be done shockingly fast," Wright said.
And even if the device is located, often it is of little use in an investigation.
"There won't be anything on the device that is likely to catch the person," Wright said. "So, it's not like there's going to be an electronic trail there or something like that, that is going to be useful to us."
Wright said the nature of the activity leads him to believe the perpetrator is likely not an area resident, as reports of skimmers in Hays are limited.
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Gas pump 'skimmers,' Prevention is key
As gas pump skimmers, and those that place them, adopt new methods of stealing credit card data from gas pumps, Wright said customers can keep themselves from becoming victims by following a few simple steps.
"One recommendation would be to take the extra time to go into the gas station and pay inside," he said. "Even if you're going to use your card to pay in person inside, skimmers aren't going to be inside, they're going to be in the pumps.
Using a credit card, rather than a debit, typically carries extra protection and can stop banking information from coming into the hands of a bad actor, Wright said.
Only fueling from well-maintained facilities can also decrease risk, he said.
"There are certain machines, older machines I think, are more susceptible to tampering," Wright said.
And while newer pumps can help stop skimmer activity, security seal stickers often placed on pumps in an attempt to stop tampering can be a sign of a skimmer on any pump, new or old.
Monitoring credit card and debit card accounts can help stop fraudulent activity quicker, he said, and any sign of theft should be reported.
"People should report it to us so that we can notify the gas stations," Wright said. "There are other ways that your card numbers and whatnot can be compromised too, but this is definitely a tactic that can be successful."