KENTWOOD, Mich. — Inspectors have uncovered another credit card skimmer in a gas station pump, this time in Kentwood.
A spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) confirmed to FOX 17 a skimmer was found this past Saturday morning in a pump at the Shell gas station on 28th St. and East Paris Ave. SE.
This skimmer was one of several found in a two-week blitz MDARD is conducting.
The Shell station inspects their own pumps two to four times every day. The last inspection before this skimmer was found was on Friday. MDARD investigators suspect that the skimmer was installed late Friday night.
Credit card skimmers are devices that criminals place on credit card points of sales that record credit card numbers. After the cards are collected, the criminals remove the skimmers and use the numbers.
According to MDARD, the credit card skimmers can’t be seen outside the pump. They are located inside, where the devices make a copy of the consumer’s card information.
An infographic was released by MDARD letting consumers know how they can detect a potential skimmer installed at a gas station. Skimmers often try to tamper with outer pumps located farthest away from the store. There are sometimes signs of tampering on the outside of the gas pump. If you see something that looks suspicious at a pump, notify the clerk and pay inside.
