Credit card skimmers still plaguing Austin drivers
by Jordan Bontke, Reporter, CBS Austin

Credit card skimmers are not only plaguing Austin consumers but they’re starting to impact the fuel industry.

The Texas Food & Fuel Association said Monday that skimmers have been a “challenge for the industry to respond to.” Jesus Azanza from F&FA said many of the components that are used to steal a driver’s credit card information at a gas pump can be purchased at a hardware store.

F&FA, which represents the owners and operators of over 12,000 corner and grocery stores in Texas, disputes the consumer advice from the Texas Department of Agriculture on skimmers.

In a video released in early August, Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller asked consumers to look for Bluetooth signals at the pump. Azanza said, “Using a cell phone is not a practical safe guard against skimmers,” and “relying on that is a false sense of security.”

Unfortunately, Azanza said, "There’s no way to be 100 percent sure there’s a credit card skimmer (at a pump) unless you open it up.”

Online posters suggested Heather Wray personally examine the locks on gas pumps before she fills up. This came after Wray posted on Austin’s Reddit page that her debit card was skimmed at a gas station west of MoPac. Her bank statement shows multiple purchases that spans several states amounting to just under $900.

“I felt violated. Absolutely violated. It’s an invasion of my privacy, it’s an invasion of my rights,” said Wray.

This wasn’t the first time Wray had become victim to a credit card skimmer. She said her card information was stolen at a 7-11 on Burnet and Hwy 183 in North Austin. Both instances happened right before the weekend.

“I’m thinking a lot of people use their cards over the weekend so that transaction will get hidden,” she said.

F&FA encourages gas station owners and operators to purchase anti-breach kits for dispensers offered by manufactures. The kits notify and shut down dispensers that are accessed without property security code entry. For consumers, they want drivers to look for safety seal tape and locks on the pumps. If either look like they’ve been tampered with, a skimmer could be have compromised the pump.

In the coming weeks, Azanza said F&FA is launching a campaign to educate and inform consumers and gas station operators about the dangers and tip of skimmers.

“I’m going to be very wary about paying at the pump now that this has happened to me twice. I mean, I didn’t think it could happen once,” said Wray.