December 28th, 2011 Watch Out for Credit Card Skimmers to Avoid Credit and Debit Card Fraud
By the AllClear ID Team
Chris here with the AllClear ID Investigation team. Identity thieves are placing credit card skimming devices everywhere, but particularly on gas pumps, and as we wrote earlier, on outdoor ATMs.
These devices are small and hard for the typical person to detect, but they can be financially lethal. Skimmers are designed to capture credit card information when one is scanned through for a purchase, and then they either transmit the information via a Bluetooth device to a nearby laptop, or store it locally for the thief to pick up at a later date. This information can then be used online, or uploaded onto a blank card for making purchases.
Skimmer devices are made to look exactly like the regular card scanner that is already on the ATM or gas pump, and they attach perfectly to the face of the machine. Most people never even notice that there is anything different with the machine they’re using. The skimmer doesn’t stop you from making your purchase or ATM transaction so everything works as usual. This makes it that much harder for the victim to realize anything is wrong.
Skimmers are typically made overseas then shipped to the US so the equipment is fairly easy to find and purchase online. You can actually Google “Credit Card Skimmer For Sale” and find multiple websites that sell the equipment.
Almost anyone with criminal intent could use this type of scam because it’s very easy to pull off without getting caught. As a low-risk, high-reward crime it attracts criminals even more. They can take your credit information when you stop to get gas on your way to work in the morning, and steal hundreds or thousands of dollars from your account by the time you get home that evening.
A scam like this can and does happen all over the country, but the highest concentration of cases the AllClear ID investigation team sees occur in Southern California, Arizona, and Miami.
What can you do to protect yourself from skimming? Be cautious any time you use the Pay-at–the-Pump option at gas stations or an outdoor ATM. It is always safer to go inside the gas station and pay at the desk or use indoor ATMs for bank transactions because it’s harder for criminals to tamper with an indoor machine.
Also, it’s easier to catch fraudulent activity on your accounts early before too much damage is done. While most banks and credit card companies attempt to notify you of suspicious charges on your account they don’t always catch everything. The best thing you can do is regularly check your statements, and immediately notify your bank or credit card issuer of any fraudulent charges.
Views expressed are the personal views of the author and do not represent the views of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, its employees, its members, or its clients.