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Gas station owner worried about skimmer protection costs

Posted at 8:45 PM, Mar 06, 2018
and last updated 2018-03-06 20:45:48-05

The Cape Coral City Council approved an ordinance requiring gas stations to put extra protections on their pumps to deter card skimmers. This decision came after a total of 16 skimmers were found in Cape Coral. But some business owners are worried about the cost to themselves. 

One of those business owners is Chuck DeBono. He's owned DeBono's Stop and Go on Santa Barbara For more than 30 years. He he hopes to one day retire in the area he's called home for years. Unfortunately, a new business expense is threatening to derail those plans. 

DeBono, like every other gas station in Cape Coral, is going to have to add new skimmer protections to his pumps. An expense that he says is too much to deal with. 

"The problem is everything they're making people do we have to pay for", he told Four in your Corner.

DeBono, says that the gas he sells doesn't necessarily turn and profit and the new protections would be an additional loss for him; especially because he would have to come out of pocket to pay for them. 

"Putting the locks in, that's about 60 or 70 bucks he says. 

While the locks may not be that much more of a cost. The tamper proof mechanisms could cost hundreds more to install and maintain. DeBono, for his part, doesn't think gas stations should have to bear the extra cost of the security breeches caused by card skimmers.

"It's the banks and the credit card companies that need to protect the credit cards."

DeBono also believes that the extra protections wouldn't be very effective, considering how savvy criminals have become with technology.

"The criminals are always one step ahead of them. Putting a lock on them may slow them down but if they're gonna put it on there it's not gonna stop them."