Grand Rapids police are warning the public Wednesday of credit card skimmers after the discovery of a skimmer at a local gas station. A skimmer is a device affixed to the mouth of an ATM or credit card scanner that secretly steals credit and debit card information when bank customers swipe their cards into the machine.
A worker with the Michigan Department of Weights and Measures discovered the skimmer Tuesday at a Mobile One Gas Station on the city's southwest side and alerted authorities.
Police say its not hard to detect a skimmer. Before using a gas pump, police suggest checking for protective tape covering the openings on gas pump access doors. If the tape appears to be tampered with, immediately inform a gas station employee.