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Credit card fraud

In mid-April, several neighbors were involved in a *NextDoor discussion about skimming—where a device has been placed over a credit card reader that captures the card information and transmits it to criminals who can then clone the card and use it for fraudulent purchases. One person was sure it occurred at the Chevron gas station at Cornell and Trail. Several others were suspicious that it had happened to them at the same location.

We contacted the Washington County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO). They had received NO reports of such problems. The person who posted the original message said she contacted her credit card company and was told they would take care of it.

Not all skimming devices are this obvious

It is very important to file a report with the Sheriff if anything like this happens to you. Credit card companies will work with merchants and banks, but they don’t pass along the information to law enforcement. Without citizen reporting, WCSO can’t do anything about it.

It can be difficult to determine when and where a skimmer captures your information, since many of us make multiple debit/credit card transactions in any given day. However, WCSO is happy to have reports so they can try to establish patterns and carry out an investigation.

If a skimmer was placed on a card reader at the station, it’s likely that it was an employee or other person and not the station management.

What can you do to protect yourself? Aside from just using cash for all transactions, it’s important to check your account balances regularly. If you find a fraudulent charge, do contact the card issuer, but also please follow up with law enforcement. Otherwise the perpetrators won’t be caught. If you live in Washington County or the crime occurred here you can call non-emergency dispatch at (503) 629 -0111.

*NextDoor is a neighborhood online social media space where neighbors can share information, post classified ads, etc. To sign up for your neighborhood, visit nextdoor.com.

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