Card skimmer theft advisory
Sweetwater Scam Alert
by Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office
August 17, 2018
SWEETWATER COUNTY, WYOMING - August 17, 2018: Sweetwater County Sheriff Mike Lowell and Sweetwater Scam Alert issued a warning Friday about card skimmer rip-offs.
Card skimmers are small devices - actually tiny computers - concealed by criminals inside payment slots were people routinely swipe their credit or debit cards, including ATM machines, gas pumps, and payment machines at stores. The skimmer reads your card number, which can then be utilized later to create counterfeit cards or used online.
The skimmers store the information for the thieves to retrieve later; some skimmers are so sophisticated that they transmit the stolen information wirelessly, saving thieves the risk of returning to physically recover the skimmer.
Lowell described a number of things people can do to protect themselves from card skimmer theft:
- At a gas pump, closely examine the card reader itself. If it looks different than the card readers at other pumps, be very suspicious.
- Try to wiggle the card reader before putting your card in. If it moves, report it to the store and use another pump.
- If you use a debit card at a gas pump, consider running it as a credit card instead. That way you avoid entering your PIN. (Using this approach, your PIN is safe and the money isn’t immediately deducted from your bank account. Criminals sometimes install tiny pinhole cameras in the keypad area to record PIN entries.)
- Don't accept "help" from strangers standing conveniently nearby. If you get an offer of help from someone at an ATM, refuse the offer and leave. (The most common line thieves use is that they, too, were having trouble with the machine and you need only enter your PIN again to solve the problem.)
If your credit or debit card has been compromised, report it immediately to your bank or the institution that issued it. While federal law limits your degree of liability if your credit or debit card is stolen, your liability may rely directly on how swiftly you reported the theft.
"Card skimmers are nothing new, but it’s always good to stay alert for them," Lowell said.
|
