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This scam isn't new: Thieves secretly place credit card skimmers on ATMs or gas pumps to steal credit card numbers.
The problem continues in Southeast Michigan, Paul Kampe writes in The Oakland Press reports:
State officials report the first known skimming device was recovered from a gas station pump last August.
Criminals have been migrating eastward with the equipment, only recently reaching Southeast Michigan, according to Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Communications Director Jennifer Holton.
The latest discovery of a gas pump skimming device was in the Westland area in late February, the paper says. A month before, one was found at a station in Livonia.
Robert DeRubeis, Program Manager for the Weights and Measures division, said in an email many stations’ employees have grown more vigilant of skimmers.
In addition to inspecting pumps for the devices, station owners have been installing alarms to detect tampering as well as changing their locks on the dispensers and using tamper-proof seals. Checking for the devices has become part of the daily routine for department personnel, DeRubeis noted.
