A store manager in Woodstock found and removed a device designed to steal credit card numbers from a gas pump before the would-be scammers could steal any information.
Pragnesh Patel manages the PJ’s store at a Chevron gas station on Bells Ferry Road.
He told Channel 2 Action News that two men pulled into the station in an SUV on Saturday morning to commit a crime.
“One of them came into distract me and the other successfully put the skimming device inside,” Patel said.
Cherokee County sheriff’s spokesman Lt. Jay Baker said the men tried to attach the skimmer inside the pump, but an alarm went off when they disconnected a wire.
Police recommend customers look at gas station pumps and avoid using a credit card at all if the seal on the keyboard box is broken.
Patel said he took offense to the two men in an expensive SUV trying to commit a crime.
“You can see what kind of car they’re driving — he was driving a Range Rover — so he was making money somewhere,” Patel said.
Police are looking for the two men and the white SUV.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office or contact Crime Stoppers Atlanta by phone at 404-577-8477, text information to 274637 or visit crimestoppersatlanta.org. Tipsters can also remain anonymous and be eligible for rewards of up to $2,000.
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