Thousands of drivers, truckers and travelers pass through Rock Springs along Interstate 80 every day, with many swiping cards at gas pumps without a second thought.
Local police reported Wednesday that one fuel pump near Exit 101 may have been stealing financial information from unsuspecting customers with the help of a credit card skimmer.
The discovery has prompted warnings for travelers, truckers and local residents who regularly fuel up along one of Wyoming’s busiest highway corridors.
The Maverik station at 1225 Foothills Blvd. sits directly off Interstate 80, a route carrying a constant flow of commercial truckers, tourists and cross-country travelers through southwest Wyoming.
The Rock Springs Police Department warning about finding the skimmer didn’t come as a surprise for local resident Jaime Stahle, who used to work in a Wells Fargo call center and dealt with victims of credit card skimming daily.
“Oh, it happens so often,” she told Cowboy State Daily. “It was daily, a constant problem. I will never — never — pay at the pump because of that.”
Stahle said the convenience of filling up, paying and leaving is tempting, but not if it means getting scammed and having someone drain your bank account.
“I still tell my family, ‘Please don’t pay at the pump,’” she said, adding that’s only partially successful. “My dad has to get a new card every few months because he pays at the pump.”
Credit card skimmers are so common that banks like Wells Fargo are on high alert, she said.
“It’s actually something they talked to us about in training,” she said. “It’s a very common tactic to steal your card information."
Truck Stop Manager Sees Scams Regularly
At a nearby truck stop off Exit 104, manager Tori Walker said financial scams like credit card skimmers have become part of modern truck stop life.
“It happens,” Walker told Cowboy State Daily.
While TA Express hasn’t dealt with a skimmer specifically, Walker said staff routinely encounter scams involving counterfeit bills and fraudulent gift cards.
He said skimmers are something employees actively watch for as the devices have become more common nationwide.
Walker said workers inspect fuel pumps at least three times a day for signs of tampering.
Credit card skimmers are devices illegally installed over or inside payment terminals that capture card data during legitimate transactions; the FBI said the practice costs financial institutions an estimated $1 billion a year.
Skimming
Walker said the layout of his truck stop may make it harder for someone to secretly install a skimmer because employees can clearly see the fuel islands from inside the building.
He also noted that Wyoming Highway Patrol troopers frequently patrol the area around Exit 104, but acknowledged other stations may be more vulnerable depending on visibility and pump placement.
Police have encouraged anyone who recently used fuel pumps in Rock Springs to carefully monitor bank and credit card accounts for suspicious activity.
A New Kind Of Interstate Crime
Law enforcement advises customers inspect card readers for loose or unusual attachments, cover PIN pads while entering information and use tap-to-pay options whenever possible.
Police also recommend using pumps closer to store entrances, where activity is generally more visible to employees and security cameras.
Stahle said she’s been to the Maverik store where the skimmer was found, and she wonders how long it had been there covertly stealing people’s information.
“It’s really hard to visually tell because they look so real,” she said. “That’s why sometimes there’s no telling how long those have been there.”
When she sees others filling up and sticking their cards into the slot on the pump, Stahle said that, “I cringe every time. I’m thinking, ‘You really shouldn’t do that,’ but I also don’t want to tell them what to do.”
The best advice she has is to “just go inside. There, you have constant cameras and there’s always someone there,” Stahle said.
Kolby Fedore can be reached at kolby@cowboystatedaily.com.
