Police say a skimmer was found at pump No. 3 at the BP gas station located at 6151 4th Street North in St. Pete. An agent with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Service found the skimmer while inspecting the pumps Wednesday. The pump had last been inspected in March 2015 so it’s possible the device had been in place for some time.
Anyone who may have purchased gas at the station during that time frame should review their credit card/ATM statements for any fraudulent activity.
The St. Petersburg Police Department reminds everyone that the placing of skimming devices in gas pumps is becoming a more frequent occurrence. It is also good practice to regularly check your credit card and ATM statements so that if your accounts are compromised, the fraud can quickly be detected and your bank or credit card company notified.
Options to minimize your risk of skimmer related fraud would be to avoid using the card readers on the pumps and pay for your gas inside the store or utilize the pumps more visible to the station attendant which are less likely to be tampered with. For those gas stations that utilize tamper evidence seals on their pumps, make sure the seals are intact or are not voided.
