The Arizona Republic

Station agents:

- KELSEY MO

The Arizona Department of Agricultur­e says card skimmers have been found at two Glendale gas stations this week. Nearly 130 skimming devices have been located at fuel pumps across the state in the past 20 months, officials say.

Card skimmers found at two Glendale gas stations this week are the latest in a series of devices intercepte­d by authoritie­s in Arizona since 2016.

Nearly 130 skimming devices have been located at fuel pumps across the state in the past 20 months, with most of the activity centering around metro Phoenix and Tucson.

Two devices were stripped from fuel pumps Wednesday at a gas station near 51st and Peoria avenues, according to the Arizona Department of Agricultur­e. On Monday, a skimmer was found at a gas station at 51st and Glendale avenues.

The Agricultur­e Department says 128 card skimmers have been found at 74 locations since 2016.

A skimmer is a card-reading device placed inside an ATM card slot. The device captures the financial informatio­n from a card, and the data can be used to create “cloned” cards.

The Agricultur­e Department advises people to wiggle card readers before using to check if they are loose or broken; that may be a sign someone has tampered with it. The department recommends running debit cards as credit cards at the pump so consumers can protect their PIN informatio­n.

Consumers who think they’ve found a skimming device at a gas pump may contact the Arizona Attorney General’s Office at 602-542-7942.

 ?? PINAL COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE ?? Pinal County Sheriff’s Office says these two people are connected to the skimming device.
PINAL COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE Pinal County Sheriff’s Office says these two people are connected to the skimming device.

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