News

Duo arrested for 'skimming' credit card info at self-service gas stations

May 18, 2011

A pair of high-tech bandits stole more than 3,600 credit card numbers with six electronic devices — known as "skimmers" — planted at five gas stations in Mountain View and Los Altos, Calif., according to the Mountain View Voice.

Boris Tumasyan, 24, and Sarkis Sarkisyan, 23, both from Glendale, Calif., were charged with eight felony counts, including conspiracy, altering a computer and acquiring credit card information with intent to defraud, after Mountain View police successfully implemented a sting to catch the two men.

According to the story, police were tipped off on Dec. 6 when a gas station attendant discovered a small skimmer — capable of harvesting credit card numbers from unsuspecting customers — attached to the circuit board inside a gas pump.

Mountain View officers set an alarm on the pump's circuit board hatch, which was triggered on Dec. 17. Officers arrested Tumasyan and Sarkisyan as they attempted to drive their van out of the Valero station.

After searching their van, police found address information for other stations in the area and keys that opened the gas pump.

The high-tech and identity theft task force, Rapid Enforcement Allied Computer Team (REACT), recovered six identical skimming devices installed at five gas stations.