Cape Coral man falls prey to thieves using credit card skimmers

CAPE CORAL, Fla. Eric Wood decided to change his habits after his credit card information was skimmed on three separate occasions at the same gas station.

All three incidents happened at the Marathon Gas Station at Del Prado Parkway and Diplomat Parkway. The suspects took more than $400 from Wood’s bank account.

A tip to avoid being a victim is to check the machine before swiping your credit card, Wood said.

“I always look at this tape, the security and the card, if it’s tight there’s something wrong,” Wood said.

Loose tape tipped off a state inspector to the skimmer at the Maraton Gas Station on Monday, the Cape Coral Police Department said. Loose card readers, key pads or broken security seals are another sign of a tampered machine.

Skimmers are usually found on the gas pumps farthest away from the front door, police said. The skimmer found on Monday was located on pump 12.

Another tip to avoid credit card skimmers is to pay inside of the gas station, police said.

Anyone who has recently stopped at this Marathon Gas Station is advised to check their bank statement for any strange activity.