State officials are cracking down on thieves who try to steal consumer information at the pump. Skimmers are popping up at gas stations across South Florida and state leaders want to wipe them out.

10 seconds is all it takes for a criminal to open up a credit card machine, put a skimming device inside, shut the door and take off.

In just the past nine months, police have found at least 165 skimmers at stations across the state, most of them in South Florida.

"Your life is ruined within minutes and you wouldn't even know it," said the assistant director of the Miami-Dade Police Dept. He would know, because it happened to him. "Next thing I know, big purchases are being made. They're trying to buy a car, trying to get a mortgage."

State leaders announced new legislation Tuesday that would put the bad guys behind bars for longer. It would require all gas stations to put special tape on the pump that would let you know if it has been tampered with.

NBC 6 traveled to a dozen different gas stations before finding a Speedway on 167th with the tape already in use, and a Chevron on Northwest 7th that uses metal bars so criminals can't get inside.

But these safety precautions are hard to find in South Florida.

Experts say consumers need to watch out for any evidence of tampering with the cabinets of the pump, and inspectors say to use pumps that are in clear view of the clerk inside. If you are paying with plastic, use credit not debit, or pay inside.

The new legislation will be introduced in January when lawmakers head back to Tallahassee. If it's passed, it won't go into effect until July 1.