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Hundreds of credit card numbers were compromised at a Melbourne gas station after a credit card skimmer was hidden inside a rigged pump last month.
Police found the skimmer — attached with Velcro — at the RaceTrac at 4641 W. Eau Gallie Blvd. after getting complaints of fraudulent credit and debit card charges. Customers got the gas, but with a swipe of their cards unwittingly fed their personal information to thieves, according to police.
“We’ve had about 20 incidents that have been reported involving this particular gas station,” said Cmdr. Ron Bell, spokesman for the Melbourne Police Department.
“So far, this is the only one reported in Melbourne,” Bell said. “We do have a lead detective working on the case right now.”
“RaceTrac takes the security of its guests’ personal information very seriously. We check our pumps several times each shift for foreign devices (like skimmers) that are recognizable,” said Dayna K. Reed, a representative of RaceTrac, in a statement.
Reed said employees at the Eau Gallie gas station were notified about the possible presence of a skimmer in December.
“We checked the pump immediately, discovered the skimmer and turned it over to local police. All pumps in the region were checked immediately and no other skimmers were found. We are cooperating fully with the authorities in the investigation,” Reed said.
“We conducted and completed the enhanced training of all of our associates in the East Florida region.”
Police say more than 600 credit card numbers have been compromised. Many of the stolen card numbers were used for purchases in New York City, mostly at the Actors Federal Credit Union.
No arrests have been made. The gas station’s corporate representatives in Atlanta did not immediately return phone calls.
Police warn that this discovery is the latest evidence of a high-tech crime that has swept the nation.
“There are no specific gas stations being targeted,” said Wayne Ivey, resident agent-in-charge of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Brevard/Daytona Field Office. Ivey, also a leading expert in the agency’s efforts to combat identity theft, said the crime has been going on for years.
Article source: http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20110106/NEWS01/101060312/1086/rss07
Category: Identity Theft Watch