Skimming Device Found At Arlington Gas Station

ARLINGTON, VA — You may want to check your credit card and bank accounts if you've been to the Exxon Gas Station at 4035 Old Dominion Dr. recently. A credit card skimming device was found on a gas pump at the Exxon, police said.(Subscribe to Arlington Patch for realtime news alerts and daily newsletters.)

At approximately 2:50 p.m. Monday, police were dispatched to the gas station for the report of a credit card skimming device located inside a gas pump. Citizens having used this location have reported fraudulent activity on their bank statements.

Skimming devices are attached to machines that have card readers. The device collects financial information, including PIN numbers, when an individual slides a card through the reader.

Police are encouraging anyone who has used this gas station to review their bank statements for any fraudulent activity. If fraudulent activity is located, report to police by calling the Emergency Communication Center at 703-558-2222 or file an online police report.

Police say citizens can take these crime prevention steps to avoid skimmers at gas stations:

• Skimming devices have become more sophisticated. In most cases, the skimmers are being placed inside the machine and are undetectable without opening the pumps.
• Pay inside at the gas station, rather than at the pump.
• Always pay using 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.
• Consider purchasing a refillable prepaid card to purchase gas at the pumps.
• If you have not already switched to a chip reader on your credit card, do so.
• Regularly check your bank statements and if you notice fraudulent activity, notify the bank so they can begin an investigation.

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