Since Tuesday, two Bloomington Circle K gas stations have found “skimmers,” devices used to steal credit card data, Bloomington Police Department Capt. Steve Kellams said.

At about 1 p.m. Tuesday, police arrived at the Circle K at 2700 E. Third St. in response to a report of a skimmer inside one of the pumps. Circle K employees noticed dimmed lighting on the gas pump Monday and put in a work order to have the lighting system repaired, Kellams said.

When the workers arrived to fix the light, they pulled apart the pump system and found the skimmer, a small ribbon-like device. Shortly thereafter, a second Circle K in town found a skimmer and called BPD.

The second gas station is the Circle K at 5207 E. Third St. Both Circle Ks said they believe the skimmers could have been placed any time between noon Monday and noon Tuesday, Kellams said.

Skimmers are placed inside the computer part of the gas pump machine. They grab data from credit cards, Kellams said.

The skimmers were removed from both stations’ pumps. BPD is investigating who placed the devices, when the devices were activated and whether they could have been wirelessly activated.

If not, they are useless to those who installed them because they would have had to have been physically retrieved before the credit card data could be accessed and used, Kellams said.

“Technology makes things smaller and faster,” Kellams said. “Hopefully these required somebody to come back.”

Kellams said credit card companies have adapted to the credit card chip for stronger protection against data thievery, but these skimmers can also lift data from the cards with chips.

Those who use credit cards to purchase gas should be wary of anything odd about the machine — for example, a dim light.

“That’s the first rule in police protection,” Kellams said. “Be observant of your surroundings.”

Hannah Alani

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