Open Letter: To Worker When I Found Card Reader at Tyler, Texas Gas Pump
My parents taught me when you make a mistake, own it, and try to make it right. This past weekend I believe I over reacted so I wanted to publicly apologize to a hard-working woman working at the Valero gas station located at 6500 South Broadway Avenue in Tyler. With so many scams always going on when I saw the card scanner at the gas pump I was using I started thinking I was about to have my bank account hacked.
The incident took place mid-morning this past Saturday, I will admit I was in a bit of a food coma after eating at Mama’s Restaurant on Broadway in Tyler and then I realized I needed to fill up the gas tank on my wife’s truck. So we crossed the street and filled up. But seconds after the pump started filling the tank with gas I found a credit card reader on top of the pump, and my jaw-dropped.
I Thought I Had Been Scammed at the Valero in Tyler, TX
After hearing and reporting on so many scams I immediately though someone probably got my debit card information. I started scanning the parking lot area to see if there was anyone that was paying attention to me and my gas pump but didn’t see anyone. I told my wife and she transferred all money out of our normal checking account into another account.
Then I Grabbed the Scanner and Took It Inside To Get Some Answers
The convenient store was busy so I waited for a couple people in line to speak with the lady who was working. The person behind me was also pumping gas so he walked right next to me looking for answers. I’m sure I was excited when first approaching the counter, which wasn’t right because this lady had nothing to do with it. She quickly calmed the situation by letting me know that maintenance workers were just replacing the scanners on the pump I was using, and they just forgot to throw away the old one.
We have continued to keep an eye on our bank accounts just to make sure this was exactly as the lady described but we haven’t had any issues since then. So, again, to the lovely lady working at the Valero on Saturday I am sorry for being so animated when entering the store I just wanted to make sure I hadn’t just fallen victim to a scam.