A woman who lives part of the year in Florida is urging residents to be on the lookout for credit card scammers at area gas stations – after losing $1,200 from her bank account in the latest case of the issue across the state.
Debra Russell says she stopped at the gas station in the town of Alva – located northeast of Fort Myers – last Thursday to fill her tank.
“We never ever stop there but it’s convenient and we needed gas," Russell told NBC affiliate WBBH-TV. “The next morning I went to use my credit card and I couldn’t, it was declined.”
Russell said her bank was able to freeze the card after seeing the charges made at several hotels in the state of Ohio. Only one charge for $570 actually went through.
Employees said they hadn’t heard of skimming allegations previously, but Russell said she filed a report with the Hendry County Sheriff’s Office.
“I’m probably going to be more aware of where I’m swiping it," she said.
In recent years, the state of Florida has been more vocal in efforts to prevent skimmers from being placed – with an increase in skimmers being found at gas stations across the state over previous years, from just under 170 in 2015 to over 1,200 last year.
