DAYTON — The I-Team has spent the final a number of months trying into the newest skimmer-detecting know-how.

Since the beginning of our I-Team investigation, skimmers have been present in two areas within the Miami Valley.

Consumer Investigative Reporter Xavier Hershovitz exams the brand new know-how, so that you don’t need to and talked with an knowledgeable to see if it’s value it.

Joe Harris may be very aware of nearly each fuel pump in Montgomery County. He’s the county’s chief weights and measures director.

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“When we’re coming out to check the gas and trying to make sure that the gas pump is pumping accurately,” Harris stated.

While that’s the principle factor they’re on the lookout for, “The first thing we do is look inside,” he stated. “Next thing I’ll do is check the card reader to make sure there are no illegal or foreign devices inside the pump.”

Skimmers had been a serious difficulty in 2013, however the county auditor advised the I-Team a skimmer hasn’t been discovered on a fuel pump since 2018. However, the I-Team has seen skimmers popping up within the Miami Valley lately.

Kettering Police stated they investigated a skimmer placed on an ATM earlier this month.

Eduardo Contreras, who together with Felipe Valero, co-owns Electric Cats. He stated, “You have a big problem right there and you can avoid it with this kind of device.”

Contreras and Valero are the masterminds behind a tool referred to as Hunter Cat. It’s designed to determine gadgets outfitted with a skimmer.

“So, you swipe it, and LEDs will tell you if it’s okay with green. If you need to swipe it again because there was a misreading or something, that’s yellow. And red is there more than one reader,” Contreras stated.

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Our sister stations throughout the nation examined out the Hunter Cat system. Hershovitz spent a number of days testing it at fuel stations throughout Greene, Clark, and Montgomery counties.

Of the 5 fuel stations we examined, we obtained inexperienced lights at three of them and regardless of repeated tries, obtained yellow lights at two of them.

Hershovtiz talked with Montgomery County Auditor Karl Keith at a Belmont fuel station to try it out with an knowledgeable.

The pump that was examined with Keith and an knowledgeable can also be the identical pump Harris opened and checked and there was nothing. But in keeping with Hunter Cat, we ought to be cautious.

When it involves retaining skimmers off pumps, Keith says customers are the primary line of protection.

“If you see something or see something out of line, you know, let the station know. Our number is on the pump, and you can call us,” Keith stated.

Then, it’s the station and that final line of protection, inspectors identical to Harris.

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