MEMPHIS, Mo.- A local convenience store was the recent victim of an identity theft scam.
Captain Bill Holland of the Memphis Police Department told KMEM News that the Casey’s Convenience Store in Memphis notified his department Friday morning of a gas pump that had been tampered with. Holland said that an employee of the store was notified Thursday morning by a customer that the locking mechanism on pump #2, situated at the extreme southeast end of the fueling island, appeared to be damaged.
Store management checked the pump and found the damaged lock as well as a voided pump seal sticker that had been placed on the pump door after the actual seal had been damaged and removed by the perpetrator. Upon this discovery, the store shut down the affected pump and notified their corporate office.
When maintenance staff from Casey’s corporate arrived on Friday morning to check the pump, they discovered an identity theft device that had been wired into the pump’s card reader system. It was at this point that Holland’s department was notified of the incident and an official investigation launched.
Captain Holland later followed up on his original statement to KMEM News to say that the device was determined to be Bluetooth equipped, meaning it could send the information to someone remotely.
Captain Holland said that any customer who pumped gas from pump #2 at the Memphis Casey’s location between 10 am on Wednesday the 13th and 10 am on Thursday the 14th should closely monitor their debit or credit card accounts for fraudulent activity. He also reminded the public to be extremely vigilant in situations such as this. If a customer observes signs of tampering such as damaged locks, broken or removed seals, equipment that seems out of place or other abnormal signs, they should immediately notify store management or law enforcement. These types of scams are becoming more common across the United States.
Captain Holland commended the Memphis Casey’s store management for being very proactive and transparent with law enforcement in order to help protect their customers to the fullest extent possible. If you believe you have been the victim of this identity theft or have information that can help lead to the arrest and prosecution of the persons involved, please contact the Memphis Police Department at 660-465-2612.
