ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.  (WFLA) – You’ve probably never seen this view of a gas station skimmer. News Channel 8 watched police crack a gas pump wide open Wednesday. Inside, police found a skimmer, a device so many people have fallen victim to.

A gas station employee found the device at pump number five Wednesday morning in St. Petersburg. Only 8 On Your Side was there as police dismantled it.

If left undetected, the skimmer could have cost customers big time – even though gas is just $1.67 a gallon.

“We usually check them all the time and we’ve never had any issues over here,” says Ram Chandra, a clerk at the Shell station on 62nd Avenue North and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street N.

A clerk saw the seal on the pump had been broken during a routine check. No one knows when the scammer made his or her move.

“We are watching it all the time,” Chandra said.

When asked how someone was able to break into the pump, Chandra said he wasn’t sure. The clerk said they haven’t had any problems before this. He said he hopes this will be the only time they find a skimming device at the station.

“We try our best man,” Chandra said.

Some regular customers can’t believe it. “Are you serious?” one asked.

One customer, who would only give his first name, Logan, said he doesn’t worry about it. “I just pay with cash,” he said.

Other customers told News Channel 8 they always make sure the pump hasn’t been tampered with. One customer said he checks to make sure the pump is sealed. Red deals indicate whether anyone’s tampered with the pump.

The big problem is essentially every gas pump has a universal key. That makes it easy for skimmers.

As for this particular skimming device, cops will dust it for prints. Police recommend anyone who filled up at the station recently check bank and credit card statements very carefully.

“It is hard to solve these cases,” St. Petersburg police spokesperson Rick Shaw said.

It’s unknown if anyone fell victim to this crime.

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