Gas pump credit card scam hits several in Preston

Be careful when you are at the gas pumps. That’s what some people in Preston are learning after losing a lot of money from stolen credit card information.

More than $30,000 has been reported lost by people in Preston so far in this scam. Preston police chief Ken Geddes said he expects that number will continue to rise as more reports keep coming in.

Nearly half of that $30,000 was stolen from Franklin County itself. Shauna Geddes, the county clerk, said she was notified via email that something seemed wrong with the account.

“I came to work and there was an email that said it looked like our county gas cards have some fraudulent activity,” Shauna Geddes said. “And it was one card and there were charges to the tune of $6,100. The next day, we had another one for $11,000.”

The credit card information was stolen off a Franklin County company gas card when it was used at a local pump. Expensive charges started showing up in Miami, Florida. That’s when the red flag went off.

But it wasn’t just the county itself that was hit.

Several individuals also reported the same problem, resulting in another $12,000 worth of loss from those people. And that number continues to rise with new reports.

Chief Geddes said there are also several people that are choosing not to report it and just work it out with their bank or card company. So he said that number could get even higher – possibly as high as $50,000.

“I feel badly for anybody,” Shauna Geddes said. “It’s not just the county, but there’s been a lot of citizens that have had their cards compromised too so I feel badly that it’s hit our little town like that.”

The cause of all the loss was a little card skimming device attached to the outside of credit card readers. They can be found on gas pumps, ATMs, or even movie rental boxes. Similar devices can be external or even internal, making them hard to trace.

Ken Geddes said the Preston police department is investigating the issue. He said they have asked for some federal assistance because they believe it’s connected to a larger ring of similar scams. Ken Geddes said it could also be a possibility this scam is related to some similar incidents in parts of Utah. He said they do have some people of interest they are looking at, but they need more information before any warrants could be issued. He also said tracing where suspects could have gotten the device could be extremely hard.

Ken Geddes said the company who owns the gas station brought an expert in to remove the devices from the pumps. He said the company has been very cooperative with police and individuals to fix the issue. He said banks and credit card companies are also working with individuals to possibly cover the losses.

There are a few precautions you can take to safeguard your card. Police recommend paying inside if you can. If you use a pump, or a machine requiring a credit card, really check the machine before swiping your card. Make sure nothing looks suspicious. And monitor your accounts regularly to watch for false charges.