Over 100 card skimmers found at Florida gas stations

Florida's Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services continues to crack down on skimmers at gas pumps, announcing Tuesday his agency found more than 100 skimmers across the state.

Commissioner Adam Putnam spoke Tuesday in Orlando about the recent sweep, saying investigators uncovered a total of 103 skimming devices over the last three months at more than 7,500 gas stations.

That number is an update to the 81 skimmers reported last month.

Putnam said crooks put the skimmers on the pumps to steal credit card information from customers, and those skimmers could be anywhere.

"These are in large gas stations and small gas stations. They're in urban areas and rural areas, newer gas stations and older gas stations," Putnam said Tuesday. "There is not a rhyme or reason to where these thieves attach these devices."

"We will employ every weapon in the arsenal to protect Florida's consumers and visitors from identity theft occurring at gas pumps," Putnam said in an official statement. "While the overall percentage of skimmers at pumps is low, one skimmer at a pump in Florida is one too many."

Here's what the Department of Agriculture recommends to avoid skimmers at gas stations:

• Pay in cash inside the store to ensure credit card information stays safe.
• Check to make sure the gas pump dispenser cabinet is closed and has not been tampered with. Many stations are now putting a piece of security tape over the cabinet to ensure it has not been opened by unauthorized individuals.
• Try to use a gas pump closer to the front of the store. Thieves often place skimmers at the gas pumps farther away from the store so they aren't noticed as quickly.
• Use a credit card instead of a debit card. Credit cards have better fraud protection, and the money is not deducted immediately from an account.
• If using a debit card at the pump, choose to run it as a credit card instead of putting a PIN number in. That way, the PIN number is safe.
• Monitor bank accounts regularly to spot any unauthorized charges.
• Consumers who suspect their credit card number has been compromised should report it immediately to authorities and their credit card company.

Here are the locations of the 103 skimmers, listed in alphabetical order by county.

Source: Florida Dept. of Agriculture