Houston police find credit card skimmers at eight gas stations, one hotel in May and June

Houston police found skimmers in May and June at these nine locations in Houston, including eight gas stations and one hotel. >>> Click through to see each location Houston police found skimmers in May and June at these nine locations in Houston, including eight gas stations and one hotel. >>> Click through to see each location Photo: Google My Maps Photo: Google My Maps Image 1 of / 30 Caption Close Houston police find credit card skimmers at eight gas stations, one hotel in May and June 1 / 30 Back to Gallery

A local hotel was among nine places where Houston police found credit card skimmers in the city in May and June, according to records obtained by Chron.com.

Police only reported four addresses where they found a credit card skimmer in May, the lowest monthly total to date. In June, they found skimmers at five locations in Houston, records show.

>>> Click through the slideshow to see where police found skimmers over the last two months.

The hotel, the Hyatt House Houston, is located at 3440 Sage Rd. Police found the skimmers there on June 14 while investigating an allegation of credit card abuse, records show.

Skimming generally involves a device that extracts data from a credit card at the point of sale.

They are most commonly found on ATMs or inside gas pumps, and Houston law enforcement agencies say gas pumps are the preferred medium for people who plant skimmers.

'HOTBED': Prevalence of gas pump skimming in Houston area underscored by lack of data

The pumps offer a way for people to place the skimmer inside the machine, whereas most ATMs require some type of physical attachment to the exterior, according to law enforcement officials.

William Smarr, the deputy special agent in charge at the U.S. Secret Service in Houston, said skimmers are typically found at gas stations that are more unattended, which makes them more vulnerable.

It's still unclear how many skimmers police found at each of the locations above. Police records only indicate different cases in which a skimmer was located — not the exact number of skimmers found in each case.

Julian Gill is a digital reporter in Houston. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | julian.gill@chron.com | NEWS WHEN YOU NEED IT: Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message | Sign up for breaking news alerts delivered to your email here.