Brevard County warns of skimmers at gas pumps

Criminals are targeting gas stations up and down Interstate 95 in Brevard County, not to rob the clerks, but to rob customers of their card information.  

They're doing it using card skimmers that are so high tech, you'd never know they were there, and it's all happening just as millions are hitting the road for Thanksgiving travel.

Brevard County Sheriff's Office public information officer Tod Goodyear explains, "The best way for them to do that is to hit a high-traffic area, to get more bang for the buck- more or less."

In a recent countywide sweep, the Sheriff's Office and other agencies found 18 of these skimmers inside gas station pumps, most in the central part of the county.

Goodyear adds,  "On this one this is an internal device, so you won't know you're being skimmed."

The skimmers are Bluetooth-activated, so as soon as you swipe your card, a criminal can digitally download your information.

Ken and Jen Garramone were driving from Chicago to Satellite Beach for Thanksgiving, meaning plenty of stops at gas stations.
They told us they're going to be a lot more careful when filling up at the pump.  Meanwhile, another customer, Thomas Ray, says he uses cold, hard cash, instead of a card.

The Sheriff's Office says there are organized groups that only install skimmers,and they're looking into whether these recent cases are connected.

Law enforcement officers aren't releasing which gas stations had these skimmers, but say they'd like have been there for several days. Your best bet to avoid being a victim? Use cash or credit card- and don't use a debit card.