Credit Card 'Skimmer' Check Turns Up One At Local Gas Station

ST. PETERSBURG, FL – One credit card "skimmer" was discovered today at a St. Petersburg gas station after the Department of Agriculture and detectives in the St. Petersburg Police Department's Economic Crimes Unit conducted a check throughout the area.

Fifteen gas stations -- all previously found to have the credit card-scam devices -- were checked and one was discovered at the BP gas station at 4125 16th Street North, police said.

Skimmers are electronic devices that are placed on gas pumps to allow thieves to record credit and debit card information. Skimmers are generally placed inside the gas pump cabinets, making them very difficult for motorists to spot before they pay.

Credit card skimmers are an ongoing concern in Florida. Last April, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services announced it had worked with local law enforcement agencies across the state to check more than 6,000 gas stations. All told, about 81 skimmers turned up.

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--Sherri Lonon contributed to this report/Image via SPD video