Credit card skimmer uncovered at Butler County gas station

Inspectors with the Butler County Auditor’s Office have found an illegal credit card skimmer at a gas station along Ohio 4 near the Hamilton/Fairfield border.

The latest was found Wednesday at a Marathon gas station located at 2693 Dixie Highway.

“Gas station owners need to strengthen the security of these pumps,” said Butler County Auditor Roger Reynolds, noting this is the 11th skimmer found in the county since November 2015. “And we need to start seeing some arrests made for these crimes.”

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Auditor inspectors found two other skimmers along Ohio 4 last Saturday.

One was found at the Mobil station at the Fairfield Food Mart (7157 Dixie Highway) and the other was found at the BP station at 20 N. Erie Blvd. in Hamilton. The 2963 Dixie Highway location had also been inspected on Saturday and all pumps were clear.

Inspectors with the Auditor’s Office have now found three skimmers since Saturday as it appears this criminal activity is ramping up ahead of the Christmas holiday driving season.

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Marathon stations have been the primary target in Butler County. Five of the skimmers in the county have been found at four different Marathons. Two BPs as well as a Mobil, Shell and Sunoco station have also been targeted.

When a credit card is run through a skimmer, the small device stores the cardholder’s data. Once the credit information is obtained, the thief can then sell the information or clone the credit card.

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