Sam Amico
Anymore, you don’t even need criminals around to be robbed at a gas station. They can just steal your credit card whenever you use it.
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So the FBI is encouraging people to use pumps closer to the store, in the view of an attendant, if possible.
Not that that is a surefire way to avoid getting your credit or debit card information stolen. It just seems to lessen your chances.
These days, “skimmers” can use special wiring to steal your number from the places where you insert your card on the pump. But they have to install that wiring. It’s a lot harder to do if a cashier or gas attendant is watching. So they tend to do it at pumps furthest from the store, the FBI says.
“Skimming occurs when devices illegally installed on ATMs, point-of-sale (POS) terminals, or fuel pumps capture data or record cardholders’ PINs,” the FBI said, via Yahoo. “Criminals use the data to create fake debit or credit cards and then steal from victims’ accounts.”
You can’t see these criminal devices, by the way. And they only take a couple of seconds to place on a card reader. So basically, you just have to hope that they aren’t there.
“Choose a fuel pump that is closer to the store and in direct view of the attendant,” the FBI recommended. “These pumps are less likely to be targets for skimmers.”
Of course, there is another way to avoid all this. You can just pay inside. As much of a hassle as it can be to make the walk from the car to the cashier, it could end up being your safest option.
“Consider paying inside with the attendant,” the FBI said.
