In Texas, the 24-hour skimmer report goes to a different office depending on the device.
Texas runs two separate skimmer regimes, and they report to two different agencies. Sending a gas-pump report to the wrong office is a mistake on a legal duty that carries a 24-hour clock, so it is worth getting right.
Motor-fuel dispensers → law enforcement and TDLR
Motor-fuel dispensers fall under Tex. Bus. & Com. Code ch. 607, with rules at 16 Tex. Admin. Code ch. 97. On finding a skimmer, you notify law enforcement and the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), through TDLR's online report form, within 24 hours. The dispenser stays out of service until law enforcement or TDLR has responded. Do not remove or discard the device — preserve it as evidence.
ATMs, POS terminals, and kiosks → law enforcement and the FCIC
Everything else — ATMs, point-of-sale terminals, virtual-currency kiosks, and other electronic payment terminals — falls under Tex. Bus. & Com. Code ch. 607A (added by SB 2371), with rules at 16 Tex. Admin. Code ch. 63. Those reports go to law enforcement and the Financial Crimes Intelligence Center (FCIC), through the FCIC portal — not TDLR. The FCIC route exists precisely because TDLR does not inspect POS terminals, kiosks, and ATMs.
The dates that matter
- 16 TAC § 97.31 (motor-fuel security measures) — effective September 1, 2023, with compliance due January 1, 2024.
- SB 2371 (ch. 607A, the ATM/POS/kiosk regime) — effective May 27, 2025.
- 16 TAC ch. 63 (the ch. 607A rules) — effective March 15, 2026.
The motor-fuel security-measure rule is a separate obligation
16 TAC § 97.31 also requires a motor-fuel retailer to have at least two listed physical security measures on each dispenser — tamper-evident seals, a non-universal lock, an alarm or disable-on-open, encryption, or video. There is no application option and no catch-all in that list. SkimGuard is not one of those measures and does not help you meet that two-measure requirement. What SkimGuard does is different: it helps you document your terminal inspections and prepare the skimmer report you have to make.
What SkimGuard actually does here
When an inspection turns up a skimmer, SkimGuard opens a statutory-incident record with a timestamped discovery, a 24-hour deadline, and the correct office for that device kind, and it assembles a report packet — device identity, location, the inspection, photos. You make the notification; SkimGuard prepares the record and the packet — it does not file the report for you and does not contact the authorities on your behalf.
Read the statutes
Tex. Bus. & Com. Code ch. 607 · ch. 607A. The Texas Administrative Code chapters (16 TAC ch. 63 and ch. 97) and the TDLR and FCIC reporting portals are named above; confirm the current filing links with the agency before you report.
Questions
Do I report a gas-pump skimmer to the FCIC?
No. A motor-fuel dispenser is reported to law enforcement and TDLR under ch. 607 / 16 TAC ch. 97. The FCIC receives ATM, POS, and kiosk reports under ch. 607A / 16 TAC ch. 63.
How long do I have?
Twenty-four hours from discovery, on both paths. Preserve the device as evidence; a motor-fuel dispenser stays out of service until law enforcement or TDLR responds.
Does SkimGuard satisfy the two-measure requirement?
No. The 16 TAC § 97.31 measures are physical (seals, locks, alarms, encryption, video), with no application option. SkimGuard helps you document inspections and prepare the report; it is not one of the listed measures.
Does SkimGuard file the report for me?
No. SkimGuard prepares a timestamped record and a report packet. You — the duty-holder — make the notification to the authorities.