W. Va. C-store Association Combats Pump Skimmers

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The state of West Virginia is taking proactive steps to combat skimming.

The president of the West Virginia retail grocery and convenience store association said stores are working with law enforcement and the state Division of Labor to remove skimmers from stores and gas stations, reported MetroNews.

Since December, the Division of Labor has found 10 skimmers at businesses across the state. Skimmers are devices that collect credit card information to send to the skimmer's owner, who can use that information to make purchases.  

Jan Vineyard, president of the West Virginia Oil Marketers and Grocers Association, told the news outlet that skimmers are not just found at gas stations.

"You see them on ATMs. Also, some of the readers in restaurants. This has been a problem. I always say crooks find a way to do things, and this has been one of the things they've attacked," she articulated.

Vineyard said gas stations are active in keeping credit card readers secure, including adding locks on pumps, embracing new technologies like mobile paying and having employees check pumps for any changes.

"It's almost like emptying the trash," she said. "Every time they go out into the lot to empty the trash, they go by and check our pumps to make sure nothing is happening."

Vineyard said she does not expect that employees are involved in installing skimmers, and that high-volume stores in neighboring states are more likely to be targeted, the news outlet reported.