‘Credit Card Skimmer’ found by County during routine inspection

Earlier this month, Agriculture Standards Officer Katie Tomlinson discovered a credit card skimmer device wrapped in black electrical tape placed inside a motor fuel dispenser during a routine service station inspection in Rancho Cucamonga.

Skimmers are placed inside the dispenser, in-line between the credit card reader and the connection to the point-of-sale system in the gas station’s store or kiosk that operates the gas pump. Once card information is transferred to this point-of-sale system, the skimmer records and stores the data without interfering with the transaction, leaving an unsuspecting customer unaware their information is being stolen.

“A skimmer comes in many shapes and sizes, but all do the same thing, steal your credit or debit card information, including pin number and zip codes. Some of these devices have bluetooth capability enabling thieves to steal your credit card information without getting out of their vehicles,” said Angela Godwin, Agriculture/Weights & Measures Commissioner & Sealer.

Once a skimmer is discovered, The Department of Agriculture/Weights & Measures works alongside the California Department of Food & Agriculture’s Division of Measurement Standards and the U.S. Secret Service for further investigation.

The U.S. Secret Service has been appointed by Congress to handle electronic access theft crimes and has a large, specially equipped forensic laboratory in Los Angeles.

Station owners periodically check dispensers for skimmers and are now installing security tape to the edges of the dispenser doors. Usually, this security tape will have the gasoline brand name or logo, and a serialized number.

Godwin says, “When you use your debit or credit card be wary, check to see if the station’s dispensers have security tape, and if in doubt, pay inside the store and review your credit card bills carefully and frequently.”

In December 2021, the Department of Agriculture/Weights & Measures received a prestigious merit award from the California State Association of Counties for the initiative they took to look for skimmers while conducting inspections. These inspections have resulted in fuel station owners and consumers having added confidence they are less likely to be the victim of fraud when using a card to purchase fuel.