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Criminals Hide Payment-Card Skimmers In Gas Pumps
tugfoigel writes "A wave of recent bank-card skimming incidents demonstrate how sophisticated the scam has become. Criminals hid bank card-skimming devices inside gas pumps — in at least one case, even completely replacing the front panel of a pump — in a recent wave of attacks that demonstrate a more sophisticated, insidious method of stealing money from unsuspecting victims filling up their gas tanks. Some 180 gas stations in Utah, from Salt Lake City to Provo, were reportedly found with these skimming devices sitting inside the gas pumps. The scam was first discovered when a California bank's fraud department discovered that multiple bank card victims reporting problems had all used the same gas pump at a 7-Eleven store in Utah."
How do I protect myself from a skimmer inside a gas pump?
Pay cash inside.
I remember atleast 10 years ago at an Arco station had a sticker on the machine that said don't enter in your card if the reader looks wierd. I have also seen that warning on swipe ATMs.
The new part is that the reader does NOT look weird.
It looks physically identical to the standard reader.
Didja even read the summary?
When information is power, privacy is freedom.
You seem confused. The skimmer is entirely parallel to the regular reader, it does not effect the operation of the pump.
There will be no observable difference in the transaction.
The most secure remedy is cash.
Nerd rage is the funniest rage.