Gas pump skimmers lead to safety sweep in Kissimmee

4 skimmers recently found in Osceola County

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – The discovery of credit card skimmers in Osceola County has prompted police to crack down on the fraudulent devices at gas station pumps.

The Kissimmee Police Department and Florida Department of Agriculture on Tuesday conducted a safety sweep at all gas stations within the city.

[MORE: News 6's report on credit card fraud |  News 6 investigates | Federal Trade Commission tips ]

"We're not going to tolerate this," said Detective Jeffrey Patanjo.  "It's unacceptable to the police department and we're out trying to proactively avoid having more victims in the city."

Detectives inspected every gas pump for the skimming devices, which are used to steal account information from a card's magnetic strip as it's swiped.

A suspected skimming device was found last week by an employee at the 7-Eleven at 51 West Vine Street.  The skimmer was one of four recently found at gas stations within the county.

Currently, no fraudulent credit card purchases have been reported from customers of the affected gas stations, according to police.

In addition to the safety sweep, police suggest consumers remain cautious when using a credit or debit card to pay for purchases at the pump.


About the Author:

Mark Lehman became a News 6 reporter in July 2014, but he's been a Central Florida journalist and part of the News 6 team for much longer. While most people are fast asleep in their bed, Mark starts his day overnight by searching for news on the streets of Central Florida.