WASHINGTON -- With the growing number of data-skimming incidents stymying retailers, the irony is how criminals will often use those same stolen card numbers to fraudulently purchase gasoline.
Closely tracking criminals involved in these fuel-stealing enterprises since 2012, Steve Scarince, assistant to the special agent in charge, U.S. Secret Service, Washington, D.C., said thieves are becoming more sophisticated and evolving each time they are caught.
That’s not to say they think everything through. Scarince, who works out of the Los Angeles Field Office, said they fabricate trucks to steal up to 1,000 gallons of fuel, which puts undue burdens on the transmission, engine and brakes of transformed vehicles.
He described one such truck (see photo) as concealing a steel 1,000-gallon container with a siphon plugged into its gasoline tank. An electric switch started the process. “It’s scary when you have electrical wire next to fumes,” Scarince told CSP Daily News. “It causes explosions.”
Scarince spoke of another incident in which the thief was smoking while filling up, resulting in an explosion that led to his death.
Still, Scarince said he’s always amazed at the imagination and resourcefulness of these criminals. When they understood that he could charge them with a heavier offense if they got caught with more than 15 credit cards, he found out they fashioned hidden compartments within the trucks to stash large numbers of cards. He discovered the trick when demolishing a confiscated truck. As a crusher was pressed down on the vehicle, a compartment popped open and dozens of cards fell out.
Some thieves are thinking bigger, Scarince said, moving from trucks to purchasing carriers. His office has seized three $80,000 to $100,000 vehicles so far.
In some raids, Scarince said they’ve found counterfeit seals and schematics for POS devices. “I’m not saying they’re smarter than us,” he said. “But we’re running shoulder to shoulder.”
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