A newspaper clipping
(July 5, 2017)
KANSAS CITY, MO. – Amidst a rash of credit card skimmers at local gas stations, authorities are alarmed to discover that at least one of them caught fire when being removed.
According to a police investigator who spoke under anonymity due to the case being open, when police arrived to take custody of the false reader being removed, the device sparked and discharged electrical energy. The skimmer was wired into the gas pump, drawing energy from the pump to operate. Police suspect the device was programmed to self-destruct.
Sources say this is a new development for credit card theft technology, and deeply disturbing in light of the location. If the self-destructing explosion had connected with the gasoline in the pump, the resulting damage is estimated to easily destroy the gas station entirely.
It is unknown if any other self-destructing skimmers are attached to other gas pumps.
Anyone with information on credit card skimmer installed on gas station pumps should contact the police, or this newspaper.