The Texas Department of Agriculture said an illegal credit card data skimmer was spotted Friday at a 7-Eleven gas station in South Austin.

The skimmer, which can steal a victim’s financial data from credit cards, was discovered at the 7-Eleven on South Lamar Boulevard near the intersection with Barton Skyway, the department said in a statement Friday.

"A TDA inspector found one skimmer on pump No. 4 after receiving a consumer complaint. The Austin Police Department was dispatched to the location and removed the skimmer device," department officials said.

The department urges the public to follow these tips if you want to avoid becoming a victim of a gas pump skimmer:

• Use the pump closest to storefront so that you are in the line of sight of store personnel.

• Before pumping, check for Bluetooth signals that might indicate a skimmer is present.

• Make sure the strip of security tape on the gas pump cabinet has not been torn. Damaged tape might indicate that the cabinet was opened without the store employees’ knowledge.

• The safest way to pay is inside with cash.

The department says that if you think you've been skimmed, call 1-800-835-5832 and an inspector will be dispatched to investigate.