Two men are in custody in connection with an alleged credit card skimming scam in Sunnyvale.

And they were caught in the act.

Moments before Sunnyvale police could be seen using flashlights to peer inside the pumps at the World Oil Station on West Maude Avenue, a couple of alleged conmen were doing the same thing.

They were about to place so-called credit card skimming devices inside those pumps when a passerby called 911 to report suspicious activity, says Sunnyvale police Capt. Jeff Hunter.

“Officers were on the scene very quickly and were able to detain two suspects who were later determined to have been manipulating one of the pumps, placing electronic equipment inside,” Capt. Hunter said.

Caught in the act, two suspects were detained, questioned and handcuffed before being taken into custody. Evidence seized included what appears to be equipment used to capture or “skim” the credit card numbers of unsuspecting patrons.

The practice is not uncommon and the skimming devices are getting more and more sophisticated all the time.

‘Some are internal mechanisms that get attached to the gas machine and some are external devices,” Capt. Hunter said. “In this case, it appears they may have made entry into the pump and were trying to apply their various electronic equipment.”

Still, other skimming devices allow thieves to use Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technology to steal credit card numbers. Police are checking with other stations in the area, but so far, this appears to be an isolated case.

They hope to learn more once they take a look at the video from the station’s surveillance cameras.

“We recommend people take a close look at the pump, and if anything looks odd or the credit card slot looks loose or tampered with, you should notify the attendant,” Capt. Hunter said.

The manager does not believe any of his customers’ credit cards were compromised, but police suggest that anyone purchasing gas recently should check their statements for anything that doesn’t add up.

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