The Jefferson Police Department responded to a report of tampering at the Casey’s General Store on Elm Street Thursday afternoon. At approximately 4:58 p.m., they were notified that it appeared as if someone had been attempting to remove the “sealed” stickers on several of the gas pumps at that location. Authorities checked the pumps and everything appears to be fine. One of the first signs that a card skimmer has been inserted at a gas pump is a broken seal on the pump itself. National reports show there has been a 70 percent increase in the number of payment cards that are comprised, and skimmers at ATMs and point-of-sale devices, like gas pumps, represents an eight percent increase in 2017. Experts caution everyone to look before they insert that card. Make sure the seal on the pump remains unbroken as thieves need to get access to the inside to insert the device. Look at the keyboard and down the throat of the reader and if you see something odd, avoid use. Also touch the reader, if it is loose, move on. And now, phone apps can assist in keeping your personal data safe. A Skimmer Scanner app for Android phones was released in 2017 and uses Bluetooth connections to search for skimmers.
