Beware of credit card skimmers at the pump this holiday weekend

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - Record-breaking travel is expected this Independence Day and Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam is providing simple tips to help Floridians and visitors avoid credit card skimmers at the gas pump.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has found and removed 276 credit card skimmers from gas pumps so far this year.

“Identity theft is the last thing Floridians and visitors want to deal with while traveling,” said Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam. “An educated consumer is the best defense, and I encourage travelers to follow these simple tips to avoid skimmers this holiday weekend.”

Travelers can take the following steps 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.
• Use a gas pump closer to the front of the store. Thieves often place skimmers at the gas pumps farther away from the store.
• 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.

Commissioner Putnam worked with the Florida Legislature last year to change Florida law to better protect consumers from identity theft at gas station pumps by:

• Requiring self-service fuel dispensers to use certain security measures to prevent theft of consumer financial information;
• Increasing enforcement authority against those who possess or traffic fraudulent credit cards;
• Reclassifying the crime of unlawful conveyance of fuel, which increases the maximum sentence; and
• Increasing the offense level of the crime, which affects sentencing guidelines.

Consumers who suspect that a gas pump has been tampered with should contact the gas station manager, local law enforcement or the department's consumer protection and information hotline at 1-800-HELP-FLA (435-7352) or, for Spanish speakers, 1-800-FL-AYUDA (352-9832).