ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
MGN FORT MYERS, Fla. – It can be challenging to guard against criminals eyeing your debit and credit cards, but there is one defense against popular skimming devices. What are skimmers Skimmers are electronic devices designed to read the magnetic stripe on the back of your credit card. Crooks can use handheld skimmers inside places like restaurants, or they can hide the devices inside ATMs and gas pumps. Criminals can then access the card information from the skimmer to make counterfeit credit cards. The devices are so popular that local authorities coined the term “skimmer farming,” meaning criminals are planting these devices all over Southwest Florida, then when the time is right, collect their harvest. Gas station inspections The state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is in charge of inspecting gas stations. Every year, department inspectors visit more than 9,000 gas stations across the state. Inspectors look at, among other things, gasoline quality and pricing, as well as pump maintenance, which includes looking for skimmers. “I have to look everyday [for skimmers during inspections] because there’s some new device out there that we have to hunt for,” explained state Department of Agriculture Inspector Jim Bougard. During one of his routine gas station inspections, Bougard allowed WINK News to observe what he looks for when he opens a pump. His routine inspection is the only thing protecting users from criminals. “[Criminals are] getting sneakier and sneakier,” he explained. Bougard added that he once found a skimmer device inside a gas pump. “I did…it was in line on here, it was like a hobby-grade, bound in heat-strength materials,” he said. “It looked like it was a hand-made electronic device. It stood out like a sore thumb.” The skimmer was obviously out-of-place when looking at the pump from the inside, but not noticeable from the outside. Keeping Track of Crime Last year, the state started keeping track of how many skimmers they found in gas station pumps: 179 statewide, including eight in Lee County and one in Charlotte County. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office also started taking notice of the popular crime trend. “It’s popular because it’s generally easy to carry out the crime,” Det. Kevin Regtuyt said. “People go undetected, and there’s a good chance of financial gain while doing this.” Since May 2014, the sheriff’s office has conducted task force sweeps of gas stations about once every quarter. They team up with the Cape Coral Police Department and the state Department of Agriculture in order to fan out across Lee County and inspect as many gas pumps as possible. Four were found during a recent sweep. The department found 15 skimmers last year. Tougher Laws State lawmakers are currently considering bills that would increase penalties for someone found with counterfeit credit cards and require gas stations to increase security measures to better protect their pumps. Protecting yourself There are steps residents can take to reduce their chances of becoming a victim of a skimmer: Look for tamper-proof stickers on the pumps Ask the station about what kind of surveillance do they have in place on their pumps Check your bank or credit card statement regularly Pay in cash