Credit card skimmers used to rip off customers at Sebastopol gas station

Two credit card skimmers found by police in pumps at the Sebastopol Fast Gas station were used to steal credit card information from unsuspecting customers, Sebastopol police reported Friday.

Skimmers are small electronic devices installed into the circuitry of credit card readers, often at gas pumps, to pull account information from cards used to purchase gasoline and diesel.

On June 13, Sebastopol police were notified by the Redwood Credit Union of fraudulent charges stemming from the theft of credit card information at the gas station at 1080 Gravenstein Highway, police said.

Sebastopol police did not originally locate skimmers in the pumps at the station, but two devices were later found during a search on June 21. The Sebastopol Fast Gas staff is cooperating with the investigation and taking additional security measures, police said. Authorities did not say how many customers may have been affected.

Police urged anyone who has purchased fuel with a credit card at Sebastopol Fast Gas since March 1 to check their account statement for unauthorized purchases. Those who have been victim of credit card theft are asked to contact the Sebastopol Police Department at ?707-829-4400.