HOUSTON – A quick trip to the gas station ultimately cost customer Gloria Martinez several hundred dollars.
"I’m going to pay cash at every gas station. I’m not taking any more chances," Gloria Martinez said.
Like many others, Martinez fell victim to suspects who installed a credit card skimmer to swipe her cash.
"They’ve already charged hundreds of dollars in different places in the same day," Martinez said.
After a closer look at the numbers in documents KPRC2 obtained from the Houston Police Department, the problem of skimmers goes far beyond the pump or convenience store.
In the first two months of 2019, while a majority of skimming devices were recovered at gas stations across the area -- surprisingly, also on the list, a McDonald’s in the Montrose area and even one of the newest hotels adding to Houston’s skyline, the Marriott Marquis.
The general manager there released a statement about the matter, reading in part:
“Safety and security is always a top priority, however, because this is a police matter, it would be inappropriate for me to comment.”
"They are fast, they are super fast. And they get any and everybody," Martinez said.
Martinez is still working to recover some of the money she had stolen from the skimming device at the gas station.
Her warning to others, always check your credit card statements for anything out of the ordinary and always be mindful of where you use your card.
"They don’t put signs of being alert or nothing. They don’t let anybody know that it’s going on, and it’s going on every day," Martinez said.
Click here to see a list of the recovered skimming devices in Houston during January and February 2019. A list of the locations is below.
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Recovered Skimming Devices in Houston in January and February 2019 (PDF)
Recovered Skimming Devices in Houston in January and February 2019 (Text)