BROOKVILLE — Montgomery County Auditor Karl Keith is urging consumers to closely monitor their bank and credit card accounts after a credit card skimmer was discovered on Wednesday, July 22, inside a gas pump at the Speedway station located at 926 Arlington Road in Brookville.
This marks the first credit card skimmer found in Montgomery County in eight years.
The skimming device was discovered by technicians servicing a diesel fuel pump after they noticed disconnected wiring inside the dispenser.
The technicians located the skimmer, contacted the Brookville Police Department and turned the device over to law enforcement as evidence. The pump had last been serviced on June 26.
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River Cities Builders Petroleum, the service company, notified the Montgomery County Auditor’s Office following the discovery.
The Brookville Police Department is investigating the incident. Investigators have not determined how long the device may have been installed, though the last known service on the machine occurred on June 26.
Auditor’s inspectors immediately conducted a comprehensive inspection of every fuel dispenser at the Speedway location and found no additional skimming devices. The discovery of this skimmer is the first known credit card skimmer found at a Montgomery County gas station in eight years.
Keith emphasized the ongoing need for consumer vigilance. “While skimmers have become much less common thanks to improved payment technology, this incident is an important reminder that consumers should remain vigilant whenever they pay at the pump,” Keith said.
He added, “Checking your account regularly, using secure payment methods and reporting suspicious activity can go a long way toward protecting your financial information.”
Keith also noted that the affected fuel dispenser was secured with a universal factory-installed lock. He stated that universal keys can be purchased online, potentially allowing criminals to gain access to fuel dispensers. Keith encouraged gas station owners to replace these with site-specific locking systems, which require unique keys for each location and are one of the most effective ways to deter skimmer activity.
“Installing site-specific locks is one of the simplest and most effective steps station owners can take to protect their customers,” Keith said. “By making it significantly more difficult to access fuel dispensers, these locks help deter criminals from attempting to install skimming devices in the first place.”
Keith indicated that the widespread adoption of EMV chip readers and tap-to-pay technology has significantly reduced the effectiveness of traditional skimming devices.
However, he advised consumers to still take precautions, particularly when using older pumps or at locations where contactless payment is unavailable.
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