Card skimmer claims debunked after fake social media post targets Dayton gas station

About year after a social media post about a fake concert at a Dayton gas station, the owner of that station has found himself refuting claims floating around on Facebook.

A post on the social media site generated a lot of attention last week, with the user claiming they were the victim of a credit card skimmer at a Sunoco gas station. “Warning: I got ‘skimmed’ at the Sunoco at Wayne and Wyoming. How could Fred Durst let this happen?” the post claimed.

But the post is fake in several ways. The pump in the picture looks nothing like the pumps at the station, and are the first image that appears in a web image search for ‘gas station skimmer.’

The user makes a reference to Fred Durst, the lead singer of a 1990s rock band Limp Bizkit. Last year a fake social media post about a concert at the Sunoco station at Wayne Avenue and Keowee Street drew hundreds to the station.

The same person owns both those stations, and, just like in 2016 has found himself the victim of a fake social media post.

“It really could affect us a lot, turn a lot of customers away,” Joh Slifer, the station’s manager told News Center 7 in a phone interview. “[It could] cause the store to have major financial problems.

The owner called the Montgomery County Auditor’s office, who said the station is clear of any skimmers, but advised people to be vigilant for possible skimmers.

“Once our inspector drives away from the station, those pumps become vulnerable again,” Montgomery County Auditor Karl Keith said.

Keith said to protect yourself from skimming devices at the gas pump, use a credit card instead of a debit card, or pay inside the station with either a card or cash.

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