Police in Winfield are continuing to investigate a financial card skimming case that led to numerous criminal reports.
Last week, two skimming devices were found on gas pumps at the Valero location on Main, according to Police Chief Robbie Delong. He described the skimmers as internal devices.
“We’re trying to figure out how these were placed and how the information was obtained for use,” Delong said. “And how it was done so quickly. In some cases they got the information and put it into use quick.”
A tech, working on the pumps, made the discovery of the skimmers, which are electronic devices thieves use to gather financial card data when a card is legitimately swiped for payment purposes.
“It was something different for us. That we hadn’t really seen before,” Delong said.
Police investigators believe the local crimes are part of a more sophisticated operation, in part because the skimmers were placed in a spot where they were harder to see. Many of the charges in the investigation have happened out of state, Delong said.
Two dozen or more local residents have reported being victimized in what Delong characterized as a “substantial event.”
It’s not clear how or when the skimmers were placed at Valero and investigators are trying to determine if other stores have been targeted.
“They’ve been fantastic to work with,” Delong said of Valero’s management.
Police are working with other store owners to make sure appropriate precautions are taken.
