SAN ANTONIO – The number of credit card skimmers discovered around San Antonio in 2024 nearly doubled compared to the previous year, records obtained by KSAT show.
Skimmers are small electronic devices that are illegally installed on ATMs, gas pumps and any other point-of-sale terminals to capture consumers’ debit and credit card information and record PINs.
The FBI estimates skimming costs financial institutions and consumers more than $1 billion a year.
KSAT obtained a spreadsheet from the San Antonio Police Department through an open records request showing where skimmers were reported in 2024.
From Jan. 1, 2024, to Dec. 4, 2024, 51 skimmers were found in the city.
The list doesn’t include every skimmer found in the San Antonio area, only those found by SAPD.
Data shows the majority of skimmers last year were found at gas stations, and Walgreens and CVS stores.
Data breakdown
In 2023, SAPD data showed that at least 26 skimmers were found in the San Antonio area.
>> Map shows where SAPD found credit card skimmers at more than 2 dozen businesses in 2023
With 51 skimmers found in 2024, the number has nearly doubled.
A map shows that skimmers were located throughout the city. Notably, zero were found downtown.
More key numbers from 2024:
18 skimmers were found inside Loop 410.
The biggest cluster of skimmers was found on the Northwest Side, where four were found in a two-mile radius. Three were in the 78249 ZIP code, with another found just outside the ZIP.
The most skimmers found in a single ZIP code were six in 78219, on the East Side. However, data shows only three locations were hit in that area, but multiple skimmers were found at two of those locations.
So far in 2025, around 20 skimmers have been recovered by SAPD, Det. Rendon with the department’s Financial Crimes Unit told KSAT. Rendon did not provide his first name because he works undercover.
He expects the total numbers from 2025 to be similar to 2024.
Rendon said the uptick in skimmers recovered over the years can be credited to multiple factors, including:
Consumers are becoming more aware of skimmers.
Gas companies are becoming more aware of skimmers and are encouraging employees to check gas pumps daily.
More people are installing skimmers.
SAPD is increasing efforts to recover skimmers.
Tips to avoid skimmers
Skimmers can pull card information, including names, card numbers, PINs and expiration dates. The information is then used to make fraudulent transactions and purchases, Rendon said.
The devices can be installed within seconds, he said.
To avoid credit card skimmers, Rendon encouraged consumers to use gas pumps closest to the door and building cameras.
“We all know criminals don’t want to be seen,” he said.
Rendon recommended a “pull-tug” method, and to move around the terminal to make sure it’s not loose before inserting a card.
He also suggested monitoring bank accounts and using credit cards over debit cards. While a debit card is tied directly to a consumer’s cash, a credit card is tied to a financial institution, he said.
“I advise also, even with my own family, use the tap to pay,” Rendon said, which avoids inserting a card entirely.
To report a skimmer, call Crime Stoppers at 210-224-7867 (STOP).
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