|
Lucas County Auditor Proactive in Fight Against Skimmers
Sojourner’s Truth Staff
Skimmers, as far as the
Lucas County Auditor’s office can determine, haven’t yet
arrived at area gas stations, but the office is determined
to stay on the alert for the possibility.
A skimmer is a device that
thieves can slip into a gasoline tank in order to read and
record the numbers on credit and debit cards. From there the
miscreants will convert the numbers onto gift cards and,
ultimately, money orders.
Recently, Lucas County
Auditor Anita Lopez’ staff conducted inspections of 77
stations in the area, on a total of 819 pumps, and found no
skimmers. However the problem, around the nation and state
is a present and growing phenomenon.
On September 13, the
Auditor’s office organized a seminar for local law
enforcement officials, agency officials and interested
parties to review the situation of the skimmers’ art.
Lopez’ office brought
together federal, state and local officials – along with
those officials from counties around the state where
skimmers have already been in place. Most of the activity in
the state has occurred in the counties in southwest Ohio –
Montgomery County in particular.
The problem of skimmers
has the potential to cost gas pump customers millions of
dollars. There are 120,000 gas stations in the United States
and they account for $250 billion in annuals sales. Self
serve pumps account for 90 percent of those sales and, of
that amount, between 60 and 60 percent are transacted by
credit or debit card.
The first reports of
skimmers were made in Montgomery County in August 2013 and
customers in 16 of Ohio’s 88 counties have been victimized
by skimmers since October 2015.
Officials in those Ohio
counties where skimmer suspects have been apprehended have
found that the operations are highly organized and operate
on a national scale – training and funding operatives and
setting them up in specific locales.
Officials offer these tips
to avoid being victimized:
·
NEVER use a debit card
·
Pay cash when you can
·
Use pumps close to, or within sight of, the store
·
Look for the tamper-proof security card
|
