As if the high cost of gas wasn't enough, credit and debit card
users who pay at the pump have to face a new way to be gouged at the
pump: skimmers.
Skimmers
are inconspicuous electronic devices that thieves install either inside
or outside a gas pump. These small and inexpensive devices record card
numbers as you pay for your petrol. Free-roaming fraudsters and gas
station insiders then help themselves to the card information in the
skimming devices, then go out and use the stolen card numbers to make
fraudulent purchases.
According to electronic payments expert Richard Crone, of the 1.36
million gas pumps in the United States, an estimated 700,000 gas pumps
accept pay-at-the-pump -- and not one of those pumps is secure against
skimming.
Some skimmers also incorporate the use of tiny remote cameras to capture
PIN numbers of debit card users who enter them at pump-side.
More technologically advanced skimmers are turning to wireless
technology, to intercept signals some gas stations use to transmit card
data from the pumps to their central computers. Instead of manually
installing the equipment on the pumps, they can lurk in their cars
nearby while downloading your card information to a laptop, says Jeff
Wakefield, a vice president with VeriFone, the largest secure payment
terminal vendor.
But the basic technique for getting credit and debit card data from gas
pumps is not rocket science: Crooks simply attach card-skimming devices
to exposed wiring inside the pump to collect card data before it is
secured, according to Wakefield.
Other skimming technology attaches outside the pump. The devices can
cost anywhere from $50-$600 and can be as small as a pager. The card
swipe is essentially captured twice: once for the gas purchase and then
again for the crooks. The devices are then removed from the pump at a
later date or time.
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