In a pair of releases today Sioux City Police tell residents to check their bank statements after a “group of individuals have recently been in the Sioux City area with gas pump skimmers.”

The releases don’t say if there were any arrests or if any skimmers were found on gas pumps. Instead they remind gas station employees to check gas pumps to ensure skimmers haven’t been attached and citizens to check their bank statements.

Gas pump Credit Card skimmers are normally placed inside the gas pump, not visible to the patrons. They are small circuit boards that connect between the card reader and the pump electronics. They store every swipe made and are retrieved later either wirelessly or by manually retrieving the device. Thieves gain entry to the pumps while pumping gas or pretending to pump gas. Most pumps electronics are secured with a small generic key and the skimmer is able to be quickly installed. Unless gas pumps are properly inspected by employees gas pump Credit Card skimmers can go unnoticed for long periods of time.

Gas pump Credit Card skimmers are normally installed on pumps that are out of easy view. Many gas stations now apply a seal and date of last inspection on their pumps, if the seal is broken or the date is in the past you should avoid using that pump. Until more information related to the release from Sioux City Police is revealed if you’re recently used Pay at the Pump keep an eye on your bank statement.