Watch for Credit Card Skimmers at the Gas Pump

AUSTIN, TX – Texas consumers and gas station merchants can help protect fellow Texans from credit card fraud by paying attention when they’re purchasing gasoline at the pump and reporting any irregularities to local law enforcement and the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

Thieves sometimes attach credit card skimmers on gas pumps to steal payment card information from customers when they purchase fuel.

Often, there are signs that show consumers and vendors there may be an issue. Does the pump appear to have been tampered with? Is the cabinet door loose or damaged? Is the card slot loose? If there’s security tape on the cabinet, does it look like it has been cut?

Whether a credit card skimmer is found by a consumer, a service technician or a merchant, the merchant is responsible for immediately notifying law enforcement and disabling all dispensers where skimmers have been located until law enforcement or TDLR investigators can remove the device. Merchants also are required by state law to notify TDLR within 24 hours.

Merchants and consumers should report skimmers via the TDLR website: https://www.tdlr.texas.gov/Skimmers.