Card Skimming

[Marvo]

I caught a petrol attendant trying to skim my credit card today. He brought a wireless credit card machine to my car after he filled it with petrol and I handed him my card as he stood right next to me. He looked like he was wiping the card with his hand as if to clean it before he inserted it into the machine but I caught a glimpse of something in his hand. I carried on with the transaction and when he gave me my card back I got out of the car saying I was looking for some coins to give him a tip. I handed him a coin and when he reached for it I grabbed him and took a small swipe device from his other hand. After a heated conversation and some persuasion I also obtained an SD memory card and a cellphone battery with some wiring that was powering the device.

I suspect he had accomplices because a couple of the other pump attendants came to his aid which almost ended in a brawl because one of them threatened me with a knife and I drew a firearm. Another couple of customers decided to get involved as well which just made things even more messy.

To cut a long story short I spent most of my afternoon filling out police reports and I'll probably be required to testify in court next month which will be another day or two down the toilet. I also canceled my card as a precaution so tomorrow morning will be spent in the bank doing paperwork With hindsight it would have been a lot less hassle to just take the memory card from him and say nothing.

 

[Spudnik]

Jeez mate, its only money!

Not worth getting killed over, but i admire your attitude!

 

[sparky351355]

Should of just knocked him clean out!

 

[Marvo]

Lol, I've mellowed out a lot, ten years ago I'd have probably put 3 rounds in him then quizzed him about the skimming device. One of the things running through my mind was that the forecourt is on camera so I had to be on best behavior.

 

[sparky351355]

Where was this by the way?

 

[sparky351355]

Lol, I've mellowed out a lot, ten years ago I'd have probably put 3 rounds in him then quizzed him about the skimming device.

He wouldnt be ripping off any one else off tho . Scumbags.

 

[Marvo]

Where was this by the way?

Cape Town, southern suburbs.

 

[sparky351355]

Bizarre

 

[RyanCheetham]

Nice attention to detail and impressive reactions, teach the scumbags one by one

 

[SPARTYKUS]

Nice one Marvo. I hate theiving scum!

 

[Guest111]

Go ahead punk make my day lol

 

[Dan]

Jesus christ. The most that would happen here is you'd not tip your hat to him, walk away, and write a strong worded letter to the garage owners ha - Firearms and knives eh - Different way of life mate.

 

[Marvo]

Yeah, a lot of it is just posturing same as any confrontation, I guess it's just what you're used to. Firearms have always been part of life, after my military service I've mostly lived in countries where it's normal to own and carry guns so it's only ever been a conscious thing except when I visit places where they're taboo. I also used to recondition and restore firearms as a hobby so they're just something I'm comfortable with.

There was little chance of getting stabbed even if I didn't have a firearm and the only way I'd have shot the guy was if he attacked and posed a serious threat. Much of the time nowadays I don't carry a firearm, only if I'm handling money or valuable goods or I'm planning to go through an area that's a known high risk trouble spot. Especially at work they can tend to be a liability, they tend to get in the way when working plus more and more premises specifically forbid firearms nowadays and you don't want to leave them unattended in a vehicle where they can get stolen so it can be a love hate relationship sometimes.

 

[mechelec]

I just read this and got to the "I pulled out my firearm" and thought pull the other one someone is living in fantasy land. Then I looked at your location and it sounded much more likely and pretty scary although having a gun in your hand is much better than a knife.

 

[HandySparks]

Much too exciting for me.

A while ago I got to know a family from South Africa (married couple and two kids) who were staying in the UK for a few years on a work placement. I transpired that all four family members slept together in the same room (maybe in the same bed??) as this is what they had been used to doing in South Africa in case of attack during the night. This was in a large four bedroom rented house.