Sheriff Scott Henriod
Last week’s Sheriff’s Corner I wrote about my debit card that had been hacked and used without my authorization. I found it really interesting that during the same week my sons debit card was also hacked and used without his permission. Coincidental? Not really. If you read the blotter report you seen where a deputy investigated a suspicious circumstance at one of our local gas stations/ convenience stores. An employee of the convenience store called the Sheriff’s Office Dispatch and reported that an individual pulled up to a gas pump in his vehicle, got out and removed one of the panels off the pump. The person then put the panel back on and drove away. When the deputy arrived he reported that he removed the panel off the pump and there were several loose electrical wires inside. He reported that a card scanner possibly was installed and the suspicious subject had just removed it. After reading this report I asked my son where he had gotten gas recently and he indicated that it was at this same convenience store that this had occurred. And guess what? That’s where I had also gotten gas recently. The card scanner that most of the criminals have been using are ones that they slip over the original card scanner on the gas pump. It appears that they are now hiding them better and are becoming more sophisticated. The Sheriff’s Office is actively investigating this incident and I hope that we will be able to identify the person and make an arrest. Just as I wrote about this in last week’s article, take time to review you’re banking transactions and make sure they are ones you made. You too might have fallen victim to this scam. One idea to follow your banking transactions is to create an online account through your bank. It’s easy and convenient to do. It’s faster than waiting for your bank statement to come in the mail. Also don’t forget to put those security measures into place that I wrote about in last week’s article. Protecting yourself from fraud is becoming harder and harder, but it is possible when you stay one step ahead of the crook.
