Starting Jan. 1, every gas station in Summit County must take tamper-prevention steps for credit card users after County Council on Monday unanimously approved legislation to curb the use of “skimming” devices.
The resolution was introduced by Councilman Jeff Wilhite and the late County Executive Russ Pry in June prior to the council’s summer recess.
“We recognize that consumer protection from credit card skimmers is necessary to prevent financial losses and maintaining consumer confidences of the integrity of the scanning devices at our retail gas stations,” Wilhite said in a news release.
In recent years, the prevalence of skimmers has increased. The skimmers are placed in the scanning device of gas pumps at retail gas stations to steal credit card information of unsuspecting consumers.
Authorities recovered a skimmer earlier this year from a pump at the Marathon-Circle K station at 750 Steels Corners Road in Stow, and several customers’ information was stolen before the device was removed.
While some gas stations have taken their own steps against skimming, currently there are no regulations or consumer protections against the practice at retail gas stations in the state, according to the release.
The new legislation also outlines civil penalties and costs for noncompliance.