Card skimmers found on local gas pumps

An organized group operating out of Louisville could be behind credit card skimmers found in gas pumps in West Chester and most recently in Forest Park, officials said.

The Hamilton County Auditor's Office and Forest Park police found and disabled a credit card skimmer at a pump Thursday and the Butler County Auditor’s Office found two devices last week.

The skimmer discovered Thursday had been installed inside a nonlocking gasoline pump at the Marathon gas station at 1199 Smiley Ave., said Hamilton County Auditor Dusty Rhodes.

The skimmer, which records consumers' credit card information when they use the pump, was retrieved by Forest Park police. They are conducting forensic tests on the skimmer and looking at security tapes to further investigate.

No arrests were made, Rhodes said, and its unclear how many customers' information was jeopardized.

Inspections for skimmers increased in recent days after several cases were reported in Columbus and in Montgomery County, Rhodes said.

"The Forest Park police alerted other agencies around town," Rhodes said. "It's definitely a threat. We're definitely going to have to be vigilant. We'll be watching like hawks."

According to Forest Park police, people using the skimmers can remotely access the credit card information and make fake credit cards from their vehicle.

Skimming devices are typically used to collect information for a couple hours. The information is then used by thieves to purchase gift cards in many cases, Rhodes said.

A Butler County inspector found a skimmer last week inside a pump at the Marathon station at 5677 West Chester Road. Another one was found at the Shell station at 9370 Union Centre Boulevard.

According to West Chester Police, a steady flow of reports of credit card skimmers on gas pumps have been coming in over the last year or two.

Officials believe an organized group is behind the skimmers found in the region.

"The police intelligence we got is that it possibly could be a group out of Louisville, possibly Cubans," Lieutenant Jeff Larsh with Forest Park police said.

According to Larsh, the thieves are using a U-Haul truck to block the pump from view. It takes less than two minutes to insert the device into the low-security pumps, he said.

There's no way to detect the presence of a skimmer from outside the pump, Rhodes said.

Larsh advised costumers to go into the store and pay, with cash if possible, and regularly monitor credit card activity.

Independent-run and smaller gas stations are most susceptible to skimmers as they often do not have locking gas pump stations.