Credit card skimmer found at San Anselmo gas station

SAN ANSELMO, Calif. - A credit card skimming device was discovered at a San Anselmo gas station in December, and experts are urging people to check credit card statements, use strong passwords and change their passwords often.

The illegal skimming device was found by a Marin County weights and measures inspector at the Gas & Shop gas station on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard earlier this December, county officials said.

The inspector, who was looking into a complaint about an alleged fuel under-delivery, found the skimming device inside a gas pump compartment. Such skimmers are used to capture customers' credit and debit card numbers, ZIP codes and personal identification numbers.

The skimming device was seized as evidence for further investigation, according to county officials.

About 286 credit card skimmers have been discovered in the state this year, said John Larkin, an investigator with the state's department of food and agriculture division of measurement standards. It's likely far more have been planted, Larkin said.

An investigations supervisor with the Marin County District Attorney's Office shared tips on how to combat skimming.

"People should check their credit card statements more often, have strong passwords and change them often," said John George of the attorney's office.

Also, consumers should try to use the gas pumps closest to the clerk's window, George said.