More gas station credit card skimming devices have been found in West Michigan and across the state following a targeted campaign.
The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s fuel weights and measures division ran a week-long blitz of gas stations across Michigan this week, checking for credit card data-stealing devices, known as skimmers.
MDARD Spokesperson Jennifer Holton says about a dozen devices were found in total inside pump housings at gas stations in Alto, Grand Rapids, Corunna, and Shiawassee County, among other locations.
Ionia County authorities also notified residents this week of a rise in credit card fraud reports, possibly involving a compromised pump at a local Admiral station.
The MDARD blitz follows recent and incidental discoveries of devices at multiple gas station pump houses, including locations in Belmont, Byron Center and Dowagiac.
Holton says the division’s about 14 inspectors have checked more than 3,000 pumps across the state coming into Friday afternoon, averaging between 700 and 1,000 inspections per day.
Devices found by the MDARD were turned over to the Secret Service, which has jurisdiction over investigations, alongside other law enforcement departments. Holton says she does not know if the devices were functionally similar or connected to one another.
