Credit card skimmer found at Sunnyvale gas station

SUNNYVALE -- Police in Sunnyvale on Monday alerted about the discovery of a credit card "skimming" device at a gas station.

In social media posts, the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety (DPS) said the card skimmer -  a device that looks like a credit card reader and fits like a shell over an actual card reader - was found at a Chevon/7-Eleven gas station at 1005 W. El Camino Real at S. Mary Ave. on Friday.

The device captures users' credit card information and allows thieves to use it for fraudulent transactions. 

Sunnyvale DPS said anyone who believes he or she may be a victim of the skimming device was urged to contact their financial institution immediately. Anyone with information about the incident was asked to contact the department at 408-730-7100.

Word of the device discovery comes on the same day that Petaluma police warned about a number of credit card skimming devices installed at a Bank of America branch and three 7-Eleven locations in that city since Friday.

While the devices look realistic and fit directly over actual card readers, authorities advise people to look for unusual features in the card reader or any sign the device has been tampered with. Users should not be able to wiggle the reader, and the device should appear the same as other readers in the vicinity.

Users are also encouraged to use cards with chip technology instead of magnetic stripe data, or to use readers with near field communication (NFC) technology that enables contactless payments.

People are also urged to avoid using debit cards and use credit cards instead. If you use a debit card, try to run it as a credit card without using the PIN, if possible.

 Additional tips can be found here.