Credit card skimmers found at Hopland gas stations

The discovery of seven credit card skimmers placed by identity thieves inside gasoline pump kiosks in Hopland prompted Mendocino County authorities to warn the public to check credit card machines for evidence?of tampering.

Skimmers are scanning devices capable of accessing credit card information and pin numbers. They were initially removed from four pumps Friday at a station in the 13500 block of South Highway 101, Mendocino County sheriff’s Sgt. Luis Espinoza said in a press release.

The investigation, which included a representative from the county Agriculture Department’s weights and measures office, was prompted by a report of potential identity theft stemming from a gas purchase at the station, he said.

The theft victim identified unauthorized charges to a credit card following its use at the station, where evidence showed that the locking mechanisms on five pumps had been jimmied, enabling someone to get at the kiosk’s interior parts, Espinoza said.

In addition to the four skimmers found and removed from those pumps, checks at other Hopland gas stations uncovered three other devices.

Espinoza said there were “unconfirmed reports” that multiple victims may have incurred losses from the illicit scanners. Anyone who may have been a victim of identity theft or fraud stemming from a purchase at a Hopland gas station should report it to their financial institution and to law enforcement to document the loss, he said.

The devices found in Hopland would not be readily visible to consumers, Espinoza said. He advised anyone using a credit or debit machine to inspect it for evidence of tampering, such as loose or cleaner than usual parts, and for evidence of forced entry to a the panel that holds the card reader and pin pad.

Anyone with information about the skimmers in Hopland is asked to call the Sheriff’s Office tip line at 707-234-2100.

You can reach Staff Writer Guy Kovner at 707-521-5457.