SANFORD, Fla. –
A Sanford man said his latest invention will take a bite out of a crime trend sweeping the area.
His device stops crooks from hiding skimmers at local gas stations.
Chris Gilpin invented Gas Pump Sentry six months ago and said it prevents people from falling victim to skimmers stealing credit and debit card information.
"I was thinking if we can't stop these criminals from installing gas station skimmers, at least pinpoint when the skimmer is installed," Gilpin said.
One part of the device is put inside the gas station, and when the pump is pried open, the alarm goes off, alerting employees which pump was compromised.
The system also sends out an alert through an app.
According to the Department of Agriculture, nearly 300 skimmers have been found on pumps since the beginning of the year in Florida.
Gilpin said installing his device locally is already in the works.
"We know paying at the pump is not going to change," Gilpin said. "Until then, we need to know gas stations are doing more to protect our financial information."
Starting Aug. 1, gas stations in the area could be protected by this new system.