Paying for gas right at the pump is quick and convenient, but it may come with a risk of having your personal information stolen because of a credit card skimming device.
"The tools used are not that elaborate, so it's a scary proposition to see that it is so inexpensive to do and it's a hard crime to find where the point of failure is and identify the persons involved," Scott County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Thomas Gibbs said.
Casey's General Store says in a statement Wednesday that skimmers were found at six locations in Nebraska, and at one pump at this store in West Davenport.
Gibbs says it was an unusual set of circumstances that led to the discovery of the device. A driver was getting gas and pulled away with the pump attached to the car. That opened up the front of the pump, and that's when the skimming device was found.
He says customers would've never known the device was there because it was hidden inside the pump, different from any skimmer they've handled before.
"It's always a cat and mouse game. As we find something new, the criminals find something else new, so it's always a back and forth. Identity theft is one of those things that will be around for awhile," Gibbs said.
Even though Gibbs sees no end to the fight against this theft, he says people can help by taking extra steps to protect themselves. One thing he strongly recommends is keeping a close eye out at the pump for anything that seems out of place.
"A lot of the machines have security tape on there. If the seal is broken or looks tampered, that'd be a good thing to report to the person that's working on duty. It goes back to if you see something, say something," Gibbs said.
Gibbs says they're looking at the device to see if it can lead them to the person who put it on the pump.
The information from Casey's General Store headquarters says that they're concerned about business done at the pumps from October 15th to October 21st, but Gibbs believes the skimmer may have only been there for a day.
What they both recommend is people who used the pump at that store should keep a close eye on their credit and bank statements for any unusual activity.