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Credit card skimming victim says he did everything right: ‘It can happen to anybody’

Posted at 7:28 PM, Dec 22, 2017
and last updated 2017-12-22 19:30:58-05

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- At the Chamberlayne Road BP gas station, near Interstate-95, surveillance video shows three men inside of the store buying cartons of cigarettes.

But police say the thieves are using someone else’s credit card.

“I was shocked that it was happening to me because I take all of the necessary precautions… you know,” said the victim. “When I pay at the pump, I am in a visible well-lit area.”

According to the victim, who asked CBS 6 to protect his identity, Virginia Credit Union alerted him Wednesday of suspicious activity on his debit card.

Victim

“They said they already flagged the charge and cancelled my account,” said the male victim.

He said he went to the gas station and talked to the cashier himself.

After some hesitation, the victim said the cashier reprinted a copy of the receipt and verified the account number attached to the victim’s card.

The amount of the $291 was charge at the BP gas station.

He reported the incident to Henrico police, an officer pulled the tape, and questioned the clerk.

“You can see them passing cards... trying different cards over and over,” said the victim. “Yeah, they tried my card, multiple cards. They tried 4 or 5.”

Now, the victim wants to warn others about credit card skimming.

“It can happen to anybody. It’s sad unfortunately this time of year... you’re going to see a lot of it,” he added.

As for the victim, he plans to use cash for more purchases.

Now, the victim tells CBS 6, Virginia Credit Union did provide him with a full refund.

Henrico police are still looking for the three suspects.

In the meantime, if you're at a gas station, you can protect yourself from credit card skimmers by inspecting the card reader and the area near the pin pad, avoid using your pin number at the pump and keep an eye on your account.

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