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Thursday, May 26, 2022
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Anthony Caldwell, (614) 345-8880
Anthony.Caldwell@franklincountyohio.gov
COLUMBUS, Ohio – As residents and visitors of Franklin County prepare to hit the road this Memorial Day weekend, Auditor Michael Stinziano announced Thursday that a recent countywide sweep of gas stations found no credit card skimmers.
Skimmers are devices installed by would-be thieves which illegally harvest credit card information from gas station credit card readers.
The Auditor’s office Weights and Measures department is responsible for inspecting every gas station in Franklin County, except those pumps within the boundaries of the City of Columbus, and seals pumps, meters, and credit card readers with a sticker verifying the inspection.
“I am happy to report that Franklin County consumers are safe from the fraud caused by illicit credit card skimmers, and I want to thank the station owners and workers for working with us to keep credit card information safe from would-be criminals. Our office remains vigilant to prevent this kind of fraud to protect consumers at the pump,” Stinziano said.
Auditor Stinziano also credits the skimmer-free inspections to the fueling station owners who have invested in customized keys for their gas pumps. These specialized keys prevent a would-be thief from using standard keys that can be commonly found and bought on the Internet to open and install a skimmer in the pumps.
The Franklin County Auditor’s office has published a list a ways for consumers to protect themselves at the pump and at other retail outlets here: https://www.franklincountyauditor.com/consumer/weights-and-measures/consumer-tips
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