Crime & Safety
Why EVG Credit Scam is Different From Valero Incident
Sierra Madre Police have now received 17 complaints of identity theft since the start of the year, and caution that not all of the thefts could have originated with a Sierra Madre transaction.
Police reported this week that evidence of a fraud skimmer that could have been used to steal credit and debit card information was found inside pump five at the Valero gas station.
“What we’ve discovered is something that is an electronic pinch-type device. It’s a pinch that connects to the [pump] wires,” said Sierra Madre Police Lt. Len Hundshamer. “Could that be used to attach something that downloads [credit/ATM card] info? Yes. We’re having some electronic experts look at it right now to see if that’s what it could be used for… But we can’t say that what we found was exclusively a skimmer device.”
As of Wednesday afternoon, police had received 17 reports of identity theft since January 1, but Hundshamer said that many of the reports may not be attributed to the alleged fraud skimmer at Valero, if any of them.
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Residents are reporting fraudulent charges between $100 and $400 on their accounts from department stores, gas stations in the San Gabriel Valley, and even a truck stop in Arizona. The fact that there are not any charges specifically from the Valero gas station location makes it difficult for police to determine whether Valero was actually the source of fraud, said Lt. Hundshamer.
When fraud skimmers were found at the now-closed EVG gas station in Sierra Madre in December 2010, residents began receiving fraudulent charges specifically from EVG… not other locations.
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No arrests have been made in connection with the EVG case.
“Currently, we have fraudulent uses spread all over the place, but not at Valero,” said Hundshamer, saying that it is going to take longer for police to determine the source of the thefts.
Sierra Madre Police have not ruled out that other gas stations or locations in the San Gabriel Valley could be infected with fraud skimming devices.
However, the pumps at Sierra Madre's Valero station have been inspected and cleared of any suspicious devices. And, Sierra Madre Gas Square is to prevent vandalism.
Police and Mayor John Buchanan urge anyone who used a credit or debit card to purchase gas from Sierra Madre's Valero station between December 1, 2011 thru December 27, 2011 to check their bank statements and report any misuse or fraud to the Sierra Madre Police Department at (626) 355-1414.