Community Corner

Three Credit Card Skimmers Found At North Austin Fueling Stop

Devices used to harvest data from credit cards unbeknownst to consumers found after someone called to report 7-Eleven store.

NORTH AUSTIN, TX — Three credit card skimmers were found at at fuel pump in North Austin on Wednesday, according to a published report.

According to a report in the Austin American-Statesman, the devices were found by a Texas Department of Agriculture inspector. The TDA is the agency tasked with examining 400,000 fuel pumps across the state in routine inspections.

The skimmers were found after a complaint about skimmers at a 7-Eleven store at 9061 Research Blvd. on Wednesday, according to the report. Police and a service company were called to remove the skimmers, the newspaper reported.

Find out what's happening in North Austin-Pflugervillefor free with the latest updates from Patch.

According to the report, the owners claimed they were unaware the skimmers were attached to fueling pumps. The convenience store operators aren't expected to face charges, according to the report.

Consumers should always be on the lookout for suspicious-looking card readers, and are urged to use another pump if a suspected skimmer is detected.

Find out what's happening in North Austin-Pflugervillefor free with the latest updates from Patch.

A skimmer is a device placed inside a fuel pump that surreptitiously harvests credit card data after a consumer swipes a credit or debit card through the slot. The devices also are sometimes put on ATM machines to steal card numbers.

PC World magazine recently wrote about skimmers, and you can access that article by clicking here. We als0 found a helpful video created to guide consumers on how to spot skimmers at ATMs and fuel pumps:

>>> Read the full story at Austin American-Statesman

Image via Wikimedia Commons

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