Lafayette Police say they have made two arrests in connection with fuel pump skimming in Lafayette.
On March 14, 2018, the Lafayette Police Department say they were notified that skimmers had been found inside several fuel pumps at a local gas station. On that same date, the Lafayette Police Department Criminal Investigations Division and the United States Secret Service Baton Rouge Resident Office began an investigation into the matter.
Then on March 31, 2018, at 2:00 a.m., two male subjects, later identified as Osmanys Fernandez Barzaga and Amaury Nunez Guerrero were allegedly observed tampering with a fuel pump. These men were identified as the same individuals who tampered with the fuel pump on March 14, 2018.
Osmanys Fernandez Barzaga and Amaury Nunez Guerrero were arrested.
According to police, a skimmer is a device which captures bank card data to be used fraudulently. Skimmers placed illegally on fuel pumps lead to millions of dollars in fraud each year due to compromised banking information being used throughout the United States.
The Lafayette Police Department would like to remind the public of the following measures to protect your banking information:
- Always check for signs of tampering when using a remote pay device or an ATM.
- If something looks odd about the device, don’t use it.
- Assume someone is watching you when you are entering your PIN and cover the keypad with your free hand when entering the numbers.
- If you use a debit or credit card, always closely monitor your accounts for unauthorized use.
- Always report unauthorized transactions to your financial institution. Obtain all the information about the illegal uses and report them to the police.
