Card fraud turns up at pumps in Sandy: Police see increase of 'skimming' financial information

SANDY — Investigators are warning about the threat posed by "skimming" — a growing crime where thieves use electronic devices to steal victims' credit and debit card information — after a device was discovered recently inside a gas pump.

The device, which had been in place for the past 60 days, was discovered around the end of January inside a gas pump at a 7-Eleven at 2165 E. 9400 South, according to Sandy Police Sgt. Troy Arnold. It is the second such device found in the city, and one of about 180 found along the Wasatch Front in just the past four months, Arnold said.

"We encourage the public to check their credit card statement if they used the gas pumps at this location during this time to ensure they are not victims to this skimming device," Arnold said.

He added the owners of the 7-Eleven store were not involved in the fraud.

"The company was an innocent victim to the criminals, just as the people who used their pumps were," the sergeant said.

The device was concealed so well that it would not have been detected without help from a trained technician who was working with police. Arnold said it had been constructed to perfectly match the pump's card slot.

The police investigation in Utah began when a California bank's fraud department found a common link between victims: They had all used the same 7-Eleven gas pump. The bank alerted the U.S. Secret Service, which in turn contacted Sandy police.

The device found in Sandy resulted in more than $11,000 in losses at various ATMs in Los Angeles County, Arnold said.

"It's a crime that covers several states," he said. "We're finding that, particularly along the east bench of the valley, (skimming devices are) becoming more prevalent."

Glen Passey, the Secret Service resident agent-in-charge for Utah, said that aside from being conscientious about where they use credit or debit cards, consumers should also spend time reviewing their monthly statements for evidence of fraud.

"They need to immediately get a hold of their bank and let them know if there's an unauthorized charge," Passey said.

Armed with that information, investigators can look for patterns among the victims to narrow down where their information was stolen. In some cases, the culprit is a "collusive employee" at a restaurant or other business who runs the card through a skimmer and then sells the card information to a third party.