Skimmers found at 2 Butler County gas stations

The Butler County auditor has announced two skimmers were found at gas stations in the county on Saturday, one in Hamilton and the other in Fairfield.

Since June, inspectors have made 28 skimmer checks of every gas pump at approximately 120 service stations in the county. Until today, none had been found since June 7.

Butler County Auditor Roger Reynolds assigned inspectors to visit about 65 service stations Saturday, when two were uncovered. One was found at the Mobil station at the Fairfield Food Mart, 7157 Dixie Highway, and the other was found at the BP station at 20 N. Erie Blvd. in Hamilton.

“We have been regularly checking for skimmers during the week but have not done many weekend inspections,” Reynolds said. “I just felt with the Christmas shopping season at full tilt and people preparing to visit relatives it was a good time to mix it up and go out on a weekend.”

Both of the stations where a skimmer was found had been checked within the previous week and were clean.

“We will be working more weekends,” Reynolds said.

There have now been 10 skimmers found in Butler County since November 2015. Three of those were found just prior to Thanksgiving 2015 and another five were uncovered around the Memorial Day weekend earlier this year. A total of eight stations have been targeted, including four in West Chester near Interstate 75.

When a credit card is run through a skimmer, the small device stores the cardholder’s data. Once the credit information is obtained, the thief can then sell the information or clone the credit card. All the devices found so far in the county have been located inside fuel pumps.

For those who continue to pay with a card instead of cash, debit cards should be avoided. When a debit card passes through a skimmer, the PIN and the account number are stolen, allowing direct access to the person’s checking account.

About the Author