SALT LAKE CITY -
Sandy police say they are receiving about ten calls a day from people who believe they have been skimmed by illicit credit card recording devices at gas stations. "Unfortunately with this being such a hi-tech crime, we really don't have suspects so it's very difficult to try to put a stop to it," Troy Arnold of Sandy Police Dept. said.
Janet Brown believes she is a victim of credit card fraud and does not know where to turn to for help. Brown said she discovered an unauthorized charge of $138 from an east coast business location on her card statement. "It was made to a home furnishing company and they just thought it was weird that, you know, six o'clock in the morning here, that this charge would happen for a business," Brown said.
"Skimming," as the scam is known, is a new trend among California criminals. The device, about the size of a cellular phone's SIM card, is attached to the credit card reader inside a gas pump. That device then transfers an unwitting customer's credit card or bank account information via Bluetooth to a nearby computer or other Bluetooth-enabled device.
Police say the skim scam uncovered at a 7-Eleven in Sandy last week was used to steal more than $11,000 from automatic teller machines in Los Angeles County, Calif.
Gas consumers are advised to pay with cash whenever possible. If a credit or debit card must be used to buy gas, police recommend paying the gas station's cashier rather than using the credit card readers mounted on gas pumps.
FOX 13's Sandy Riesgraf reports.
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Janet Brown believes she is a victim of credit card fraud and does not know where to turn to for help. Brown said she discovered an unauthorized charge of $138 from an east coast business location on her card statement. "It was made to a home furnishing company and they just thought it was weird that, you know, six o'clock in the morning here, that this charge would happen for a business," Brown said.
"Skimming," as the scam is known, is a new trend among California criminals. The device, about the size of a cellular phone's SIM card, is attached to the credit card reader inside a gas pump. That device then transfers an unwitting customer's credit card or bank account information via Bluetooth to a nearby computer or other Bluetooth-enabled device.
Police say the skim scam uncovered at a 7-Eleven in Sandy last week was used to steal more than $11,000 from automatic teller machines in Los Angeles County, Calif.
Gas consumers are advised to pay with cash whenever possible. If a credit or debit card must be used to buy gas, police recommend paying the gas station's cashier rather than using the credit card readers mounted on gas pumps.
FOX 13's Sandy Riesgraf reports.
SEND US YOUR NEWS, WEATHER AND SPORTS PICTURES! www.fox13now.com/pics
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! @fox13now
VISIT US ON YOUR CELL PHONE! http://mobile.fox13now.com
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