SANDY, Utah—
Police in Sandy discovered a device capable of transmitting credit card numbers and bank account information installed on a gas pump at a 7-Eleven store at 2165 East 9400 South. 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."Skimming," as the scam is known, is a new trend among California criminals, and the practice has now made its way to Utah.
"It's a small device, Bluetooth, the size of a SIM card, that is attached to the actual credit card reader. And, as we are placing our credit cards or debit cards into these gas pumps, what it's doing is: it's not collecting, but it's just transmitting the account information, the credit card number, to a different device that's within the range of the Bluetooth technology," said Sgt. Troy Arnold of the Sandy police department.
Police say data skimmed from the 7-Eleven in Sandy 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.
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