ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Several new state laws went into effect Saturday aimed at stiffening penalties for crimes.
One of them has tackled gas pump skimmers, a serious problem documented across Central Florida.
Lawmakers reclassified the crime as a stronger offense, a move that lengthens the prison sentence for anyone who’s busted using a skimmer to steal information at gas pumps.
Andrew Cobb, an investigator with the state’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, said authorities have detected hundreds of such devices across the state in the last year.
“It's more organized as it grows,” Cobb said. “It's a large criminal organization.”
The crime has now been reclassified as a second-degree felony, which carries a possible maximum sentence of 15 years. Previously, it was a third-degree felony, which only carried a maximum sentence of five years.
Gas stations will now be required to place a security seal over the area of the pump where criminals typically install skimmers, and customers are urged to report pumps that appear to be tampered with.
The state said each skimmer represents a $100,000 threat, stealing an average of $1,000 from each victim.
The new law also toughens the penalty for anyone caught with fake credit cards. Previously, possessing 10 bogus credit cards was a second-degree felony, now that number has been decreased to five credit cards. Possessing at least 50 fake credit cards is now a first-degree felony.