$5M gas skimming scheme brings attention to host of cases nationwide. How to avoid falling victim.
Beware of fraudsters trying to dip into your wallet when you fill up with gas.
While you are paying at the pump, an thief may be secretly recording your credit card number. A Las Vegas man sentenced this week to 56 months in prison for his role in gas pump skimming fraud scheme in Nevada and Southern California that cost unsuspecting customers more than $5 million is the latest in a wave of similar schemes unfolding across the nation.
Between June 2018 and June 2022, Juan Luis Sosa Tamayo, Danyer Manuel Alarcon Rodriguez, Adrian Leyva Tamayo and Francisco Rodriguez Gonzalez put the devices fueling stations in Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada, and Bakersfield and Fresno, California, according to court documents from the U.S. Attorney's office in Nevada. The men obtained information from at least 8,229 stolen credit and debit card numbers from the places they covertly hid the skimming devices.
Gas pump skimmers can be difficult to spot for average consumers, because most people are on the go when they buy gas and aren't especially on the lookout for anything suspicious during a routine stop to fill up the tank. The devices are essentially a card overlay, which is a device that fits over the card terminal on the pumps and is designed to be undetected but will collect your data as you enter your PIN and complete your transaction.
Although the skimmers are designed to look like a typical credit-card slider on any gas machine, they often stick out under close scrutiny because they aren't securely attached to the pump. Typically they are black and bulge out conspicuously, with no official markings. They may also wiggle or even come lose from the front of the pump.
Thieves may also install a hidden camera so they can capture your PIN if you pay with a debit card.
Sosa Tamayo had pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy, one count of use of unauthorized access device, and one count of aggravated identity theft, prosecutors said. Rodriguez Gonzalez and Alarcon Rodriguez were previously sentenced to 70 months and 61 months in prison for their part in the scheme, respectively. Leyva Tamayo is awaiting sentencing later this month.
The case is a snapshot into a host of gas skimming schemes that have been investigated by the Secret Service nationwide in recent years as hard-working Americans fill their tanks on the go while unknowingly running the risk of getting ripped off at fueling stations.
Similar schemes nationwide
The case is a snapshot into a host of gas skimming schemes that have been investigated by the Secret Service nationwide in recent years as hard-working Americans fill their tanks on the go while running the risk of getting ripped off at fueling stations.
In May, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced a Florida man installed the same devices on gas pumps in Boston in 2019 and was ordered by a U.S. District Court Judge to pay $21,267 in restitution, along with a sentence of five years in prison and three years of supervised. Two months earlier, the U.S. Attorney's Office's Southern District of California said a Los Angeles man was sentenced to 41 months in prison for building skimming devices.
In 2018, the Secret Service launched Operation Deep Impact to combat schemes across the county by alerting state and local law enforcement officials about what to look for, how to handle skimmers if found and collect evidence and how to investigate the crimes.
According to a news release from the Secret Service that year, fueling stations are attractive to criminals because many Americans use their credit and debit cards to buy gas daily. Criminals using the skimmers can "recover the stolen data undetected." Arrests can be difficult "but not impossible" because pumps are usually unattended, leaving them open targets and buyers susceptible.
Signs to watch out for to avoid card skimming
Card skimmers can be difficult to spot, but TJ Horan, a vice president for project management at FICO, said there are signs gas consumers can look for before paying.
To start, customers should look for any irregularities in the device where they swipe or insert their cards. A loose or disconnected device should be a warning sign, he said. And he recommends people look for any small holes or disjointed parts of the system because people looking to steal card information can install microscopic cameras at the top of ATMs to observe car numbers and PIN codes.
"Trust your instincts; if something looks suspicious, you should not complete the payment," he said.
Tips for avoiding skimmers
Horan, the FBI and the Federal Trade Commission recommend a few ways people buying gas can protect themselves from fraud. Those suggestions include:
Using more secure payment methods like contactless technology like "tap to pay" since skimmers are often designed to read magnetic stripes
Setting up alerts with financial institutions tied to your cards
Fueling at pumps closer to a gas attendant's view
Paying inside with a gas attendant instead of at the pump
Using a debit card instead of a credit card
At fueling stations, making sure "the gas pump panel is closed and doesn’t show signs of tampering"
Running a debit card as a credit card instead of entering a PIN
Monitoring credit and debit card charges regularly to spot any suspicious use
Other security suggestions include remaining alert in areas of tourism with heavy traffic.
Contact Kayla Jimenez at kjimenez@usatoday.com. Follow her on Twitter at @kaylajjimenez.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Gas skimming schemes result in nationwide arrests. Avoid falling victim.
