[njbchbum]

Originally Posted by buggyone

I read in The Daily Sun today about skimming devices being found on a Sunoco gasoline pump in Lady Lake. These skimmers steal information from the magnetic strip on your credit card which is retrieved by the thief and used in fraud transactions.

I have always wondered why the gas station owner does not know about the skimmers. Wouldn't they check the pumps daily to see if they are tampered with? Wouldn't an employee see someone tampering with the pumps while installing or removing a skimmer? I have always suspected that some employee of the gas station is the "perp" in skimming scams.

Buggyone - That article made me internet search gas pump skimmers and I found a great video that, first of all, indicated that the key to open a gas pump is a universal key that can be purchased on the internet! It then showed a sting operation where the skimmer had been removed from a pump and a small camera installed to see if/when the skimmer owner came to collect. Sure enough - 2 o' clock in the morning! Car pulled up to pump when no one was present and went to retrieve the skimmer. The guy was so stupid that he kept pushing wires around looking for the skimmer and never realized it was gone and he was on camera! Still fishing around when the police arrived! Nominated for a Darwin Award! Scary that one can buy that key on the internet - but then - what can't you buy there besides common sense?