BRIDGEPORT — Local police officers are warning residents to keep an eye on their bank statements after evidence of a credit card scam has come to light in Belmont County.

Bridgeport Police Chief Andrew Klotz said he received a report Tuesday from a Belmont County resident who noticed suspicious activity on their credit card; the last known location the card was used was at a Bridgeport area gas station. Klotz said the owner of the station investigated the pumps and found what appeared to be credit card skimmers embedded in the card readers of the gas pumps. These devices can steal credit card information when someone uses the card at that location, allowing thieves to access an unsuspecting customer’s bank records and accounts. Klotz said the device found will be taken to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation to see if any data can be retrieved from the simple machine.

“Basically we just want to get out that you need to be keeping an eye on your bank statements,” Klotz said, adding that he also wanted area business owners to be aware of the scams so that they can keep an eye out and hopefully thwart potential scams.

“If you’re a gas station, especially keep an eye on the pumps. If you notice something different about the pump inside, let us know, we’ll come take a look,” Klotz said.

He added that officers would rather come to a pump that has nothing suspicious about it than to have someone else have their records hacked. Kotz declined to name the business that was targeted in this case.

Residents are urged by police to keep an eye on their records and bank statements and to notify either their local police department or the Belmont County Sheriff’s Department if they notice any suspicious activity while shopping or using their credit cards.