card reader skimmer_1.jpeg
This is a card skimmer that Weights and Measures inspectors found inside a gas pump in Montgomery County. Medina County Weights and Measures workers recently found a similar device in a Medina Township gas pump. (Photo Courtesy of Montgomery County Auditor's Office)
(Photo Courtesy of Montgomery County Auditor's Office)
MEDINA, Ohio - Medina County residents are urged to be on the lookout for possible credit card skimming at area gas stations.
Medina County chief Weights and Measures inspector Bryan Lanning said his team discovered a skimmer on a gas pump at the Circle K service station on the corner of Fenn and Pearl roads this week.
Part of the Weights and Measures routine is to regularly open gas pumps and inspect the interior mechanisms, which is how the credit card skimming device was discovered.
"When we inspect the lead wire seal inside the fuel dispenser, if we find a skimmer, we report it to the police," Lanning said.
The Medina Township Police Department responded to the scene and confiscated the device.
"Unfortunately, there is no good way to avoid skimmers once they're in place," said Medina County Auditor Mike Kovack, whose office oversees Lanning and his staff.
"Avoiding the use of any card reader that looks damaged, loosened or tampered with and checking your credit card statements regularly for fraudulent charges is the best you can do," Kovack said.
He said some service stations with pay-at-the-pump dispensers, ATMs and other unattended machines that scan credit cards are taking preventative measures by way of a simple sticker or seal.
Consumers can alert the gas station if the decal is broken, which may indicate that the machine has been tampered with, Kovack said.
Anyone who sees a broken or cut seal or a voided security seal message on the sticker should not use that pump and should report it to the service station staff, he said.