Thieves skimming and sliding at gas pumps

Crooks are finding new ways to skim and slide your hard earned money and valuables right from under your nose, while you're at gas pumps.

7 Eyewitness News recently aired a video of a man in Florida sliding out of his car and into an adjacent car. Then snatching the driver's purse and getting back into his car, before the woman notices. This is just one of several things people are doing to steal from customers at gas stations.

Police say crooks are even going as far as stealing credit card information at gas pumps. They attach a hidden device on pumps and then record the information right off your card. It's called skimming. New York State Police say this is an issue in Western New York.

"People put a magnetic strip, basically gain the information off the credit card using the magnetic strip on the back of the card, and that's a device that's put in the same hole or port you put your credit card," Trooper James O'Callaghan said.

Police say when buying gas, choose a pump close to the attendant. Thieves normally set up out of sight. They also remind you to lock your doors and monitor your account often for fraud.