Inside The Industry: Local Gas Stations Tampered with in Skimming Scam
Hess Corp. is alerting South Florida customers after several of its gas stations were targeted by “skimming.” There have been attempts in recent months to steal credit and debit card numbers at service stations in South Florida using so-called “skimmer” devices, Hess announced Friday. “Criminals tamper with gas pumps and place devices into their internal mechanisms to try to illegally intercept and record customer credit and debit card information as the cards are swiped at the pump,” Hess said in a statement.
The corporation said several Hess stations have been targeted by these illegal activities. As soon as Hess found evidence of such attempts, the corporation said it notified law enforcement officials. “To protect customers, we continue to intensify security measures to help prevent future incidents,” Hess said. “We also continue to work with law enforcement agencies, including the United States Secret Service, as they pursue these criminals. We want to ensure that our customers are alerted to the possibility that their credit or debit card information may have been compromised.”
A security-savvy tourist who asked to be identified only by his first name, Tripp, said he believes he’s been at risk of skimming devices before. “At one gas station, it wouldn’t work. It made me concerned that, you know, it didn’t work when I took my card,” Tripp said. “I worried someone messed with the machine so we actually went to a different gas station because of that.” Pumps at the Hess station in Fort Lauderdale appeared to have been fortified with a metal strip and bolts.
Hess said it does not store payment card account numbers on its systems and these incidents did not involve hacking into Hess systems. “We believe the information at risk is the data contained on the magnetic strip on a payment card, which includes the customer’s name, account number and expiration date,” said Hess. “We do not believe Social Security numbers are included on the magnetic strip.”
Customers are asked to check their credit and debit card statements for unauthorized charges or debits and immediately report any suspicious ones to the card issuer. Hess said customers should be on the lookout for any calls or letters from retailers or creditors regarding merchandise or services not ordered. Finally, customers are asked to report any missing credit and debit card statements to the card issuer immediately.
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