US: Florida officials find 103 ‘card skimmers’ after checking 7,571 gas stations

Officials from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services spent the past three months inspecting 7,571 gas stations which led to the detection of 103 ‘card skimmers’ which are devices illegally placed by thieves that aim to steal consumer’s debit or credit card information to make illegal copies of cards, the Florida state informed.

“We will employ every weapon in the arsenal to protect Florida's consumers and visitors from identity theft occurring at gas pumps,” said Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam, according to the information.

“While the overall percentage of skimmers at pumps is low, one skimmer at a pump in Florida is one too many. I thank the Florida Petroleum Council and the Florida Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association for partnering with us, so we can involve gas station employees in our consumer protection efforts,” he added.

Sixteen of the skimmers were found in gasoline stations in Dade County, where Miami is located, which was the area with the most illegal devices detected out of several counties in central and south Florida.