Two men were arrested in Dayton and are accused of putting credit card skimmers on gas pumps in southwest Ohio to steal personal information.
The suspects have been identified as Yasmany Garcia and Luis Ochoa.
The federal criminal complaint said the two Cuban nationals were ordered to be removed from the United States to Cuba in 2019.
The complaint states the pair planted a credit card skimmer in a pump at a station in Loveland in April.
Then the suspects allegedly parked next to the pump and wirelessly collected credit card information from the device without ever getting out of their car.
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The secret service said Garcia and Ochoa then took the stolen credit card information and bought gift cards at stores in Butler and Warren Counties, as well as the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky areas.
“Anytime you find out that someone actually has been tracked down and arrested for it, it’s great news,” Karl Keith, Montgomery County auditor said.
Keith and his inspectors look for credit card skimmers to keep them off pumps in the county.
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His office hasn’t found one since 2018, but he gave tips on how to protect yourself.
He said skimmers are hard to spot since they end up inside the pump. He said to make sure the seal on the pumps is not broken.
If possible pay for your gas with cash, if not use a credit card instead of a debit card.
“Never use a debit card. If you use your credit card, there’s a certain safety that safety measures that are built into the credit card with the banking industry. The debit card leaves you wide open,” Keith said.
The two men could spend as much as 15 years in prison if they are found guilty.
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