Buyer beware.
Mid-April saw two pumps at the Citgo in Holmes Beach violated by credit-card skimmers.
Owner Ali Ghasemi reported devices were wired inside the gas pumps at 3:05 p.m. April 14 — almost two years after the last bout of skimming the station, 3015 Gulf Drive, on May 9, May 11 and May 13 in 2016.
After the April report, HBPD Officer Jason Higgins responded and saw the devices attached to pumps 2 and 5.
According to his police report, they acted as “a go-between with the purpose of defrauding the gas station and customers who pay with credit and debit cards.”
No pry marks were found outside the pumps.
Police suspect those responsible are able to unlock the pump doors and place the devices without detection.
After personal data is gleaned from magnetic strips on credit and debit cards, thieves are known to sell or convert the information to counterfeit cards and make fraudulent purchases. The fraudsters can use wireless technology to retrieve information from some devices and don’t need to return to extract the data.
Ghasemi said he checks the pumps every morning to determine if security strips are broken and each Saturday he verifies the pumps are unaltered inside.
While his gas station and store have a surveillance system, as far as retrieving a video of the April crime, Ghasemi said, “What’s the point.”
Skimmers have been eluding law enforcement since the 2016 incident at the Citgo, according to Holmes Beach Detective Sgt. Brian Hall.
In December 2017, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office arrested Yoandy Perez Del-Prado, 34, and Michel Varona Saaverdra, 18, both of Miami, on multiple fraud charges connected with the use of scanning devices.
However, court records show the charges were dropped April 20, four days after a judge set trial dates in the cases.
The reason?
According to memos from Assistant State Attorney Melissa Gould to the sheriff’s office: “Since the filing of the information the federal government has initiated prosecution” and law enforcement “is agreeable with this resolution.”
Hall said skimmers are “making their rounds,” and he is hoping for a video to further investigate the Holmes Beach crime. Another unsolved fuel pump skimmer case was reported April 11 by the 7-Eleven store at 2011 Cortez Road W., Bradenton.
Longboat Key Detective Lt. Robert Bourque said skimming is “very common.” Longboat’s been hit three times in the past two years. He believes the perpetrators have keys to the pumps and return from time to time.
To protect personal data, Bourque recommended credit cards over debit card transactions, because they are quicker to reimburse victims, and to monitor personal accounts.
Hall suggested people go inside if they pay with debit or credit cards or pay with cash.
But beware — Ghasemi said he heard of a skimming device placed inside another store in Cortez.
“It’s everywhere,” he added.