Sarasota Co. deputies bust credit card skimmer ring out of Miami

SARASOTA, Fla. (WFLA) — Sarasota County authorities have busted a skimmer ring out of Miami.

Early Wednesday morning, deputies arrested two men who left skimming devices at three Sarasota gas stations. Deputies say the men had driven all the way up from Miami.

Around 1 a.m., a caller told deputies two men had opened a gas pump at the Sunoco station located at 4131 Bee Ridge Road. Officials quickly responded and arrested 18-year-old Michel Varona-Saavedra and 34-year-old Yoandy Perez-Del Prado.

Deputies found tools, gas pump keys and skimmers in their possession.

“We do know that they are probably part of a bigger scheme,” said Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Brian Gregory.

Deputies believe the ring collects skimming equipment in Miami before hitting the interstate and heading north.

“I don’t think its necessarily here that’s mainly the focus, ‘cuz they go everywhere,” said Lt. Gregory.

Officials say the crooks target gas stations near the interstate that are closed at night. They have better access to pumps with old technology.

“In very few cases do we get to identify the suspects, make the arrests, connect all the dots and actually in this case here we prevented crimes from happening, so it is pretty exciting,” said Lt. Gregory.

Gas station owners like Mike Desai are fighting back.

Desai’s station is just off I-75, making it an ideal target. To protect himself, Desai installed advanced pumps that can only be opened by a specialized technician.

“Even if [crooks] put their fake key, try to open it, this shut off right away, so it’s kinda like more sensitive pumps than before,” explained Desai. “We have a technician team. Only they can come here and they open the pump and they have special keys, after that they have a special code inside.”

The pumps automatically shut off if a fraudulent credit card is used and the software is frequently updated. Desai hopes more gas station owners use this technology.

“Hopefully all problems are gonna be solved pretty soon,” Desai said.

Officials encourage you to be vigilant and check your bank statements to protect yourself from these crooks. Deputies believe the men may be responsible for more skimmers throughout the region. They’re working with local agencies on the case.

Varona-Saavedra was charged with six counts of Possession of a Skimming Device, two counts of Offense Against a Computer Network and one count of Trafficking in Counterfeit Credit Cards. He’s being held at the Sarasota County Jail on $185,000 bond.

Perez-Del Prado is charged with six counts of Possession of a Skimming Device and two counts of Offense Against a Computer Network. He is held at the Sarasota County Jail on $160,000 bond.