Credit card ‘skimmers’ ?found at local gas pumps

A credit card scam uncovered this week at two local gas stations may have affected hundreds of gas pumpers in the Springs.

According to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office, the manager of the Valero Gas Station on Highway 12 at Siesta Way on Thursday reported she had located a possible credit card “skimmer” – a small device installed at the credit card terminal in a gas pump, which can read and save credit card information.

The credit card information gleaned from the skimmer is later used for fraudulent credit activity or sold on the dark web, according to the Sheriff’s report.

In the course of an investigation, a Sheriff’s deputy recovered five credit card skimmers from multiple gas pumps from the Valero station and the Beacon gas station located across the street. It appeared two credit card skimmers had already been removed by the suspects prior to the report, the investigation found.

The skimmers recovered by the deputy are currently being processed by the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Unit. According to the Sheriff’s Office, the credit card skimmers might have been in place and working since Oct. 5.

The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office is encouraging customers who have used either gas station while paying at the pump with a credit or debit card to cancel their credit or debit card, and monitor their credit card statements and banking records for fraudulent activity. Anyone who has paid by card at those stations and suspects fraudulent activity after Oct. 5 should call the Sheriff’s Office at 565-2185 and refer to Case No. 181011-023.