Credit Card Skimmer Found at 7-Eleven ATM

A Michigan Heights man may have saved himself, and others, from untold financial losses and headache when he discovered a credit card skimmer at a 7-Eleven store on Friday.

Matt Stoddart told WXYZ News that he rarely uses ATMs, and is always on alert for potential scams. On his Facebook post, he says he noticed a small gap on the ATM reader, and without much effort at all, was able to pull the skimmer off. He took photos of it on his cell phone and posted a warning on Facebook. This particular skimmer was found at the corner of 12 Mile and Decatur; WXYZ reports that police were investigating another potential skimmer found at another 7/11 in Royal Oak.

This practice is called skimming because thieves "skim" your credit or debit card information using a device that affixes to a card reader. It is usually so well camouflaged that customers don't notice.

Data analytics company FICO says in the first four months of 2015, skimming incidents nationwide increased by nearly 175% at bank-owned ATMs and more than 300% at those not owned by banks. Earlier this year, Jamie Clover Adams, director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that about 70 of these skimmers had been removed in the state. Her organization regulates the state’s fuel pumps.

The skimmers, which often can’t be seen from outside the pump, can be installed in seconds. Criminals use keys to open the pumps quickly, insert the skimmers, and then leave. The skimmers copy the consumer’s card information for criminals to make fraudulent purchases.

Local, state and federal regulators, various law enforcement agencies, and gas station owners continue to be on the lookout at gas pumps across Michigan as part of the ongoing efforts to crack down on consumer credit card information being hacked by credit card skimmers.

Screenshot via Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development