For example, if your account number was used but your credit or debit card wasn’t stolen or lost, you shouldn’t be on the hook for the amount lost. While both credit cards and debit cards are safe options, if fraud were to occur, your credit card may have slightly more protection than your debit card. If you’re using an ATM, machines in high-traffic areas or inside bank branches may be more secure. If you’re at a gas station, paying through the app or inside might offer more protection. Swiping and dipping aren’t the only ways to pay. Keep in mind that ATMs often have security cameras built into them. There might be a hidden camera capturing you entering your PIN. Look closely above it to see if there are any holes looking down on where you would insert your card. At the gas pump or ATM, inspect what’s around the card reader. It’s a way of stealing PINs and other information off credit cards and debit cards by rigging machines with hidden recording devices. Hidden cameras might not be as easily identifiable as other skimming products. ATM skimming is a type of payment card fraud. Do the card slot and keypad look about the same as the others? If they look bulky or different in other ways, that might be a sign that there’s a skimmer attached to the card reader. If you’re at a gas station, take a quick gander at other pumps around you to see if all the pumps look the same. Card skimmers are small, electronic devices secretly installed by thieves at payment terminals such as gas pumps and ATMs. Compare with other gas pumps and machines And if that’s the case, avoid using it and alert the business. If the card reader or keypad feels loose, out of place or off alignment, there’s a chance it could have a skimmer attached to it.
You can take proactive steps to avoid falling victim to credit card skimmers and credit card fraud: Inspect the card reader and keypad And it’s a good idea to move to another gas pump or pay inside and tell an associate. If there’s a broken seal, that’s a sign that there might be a skimmer installed. Check the security sealĪt gas pumps, look for possible skimming by checking the security seal near the reader. Try to give the card reader a little wiggle before swiping your card. There’s a chance you could feel something off alignment when you put your card in the reader, but by that time, it could be too late to stop the scam. If the machine feels like it’s coming apart in some places, like a piece of it isn’t sturdy or properly installed, that’s a sign a skimmer could be in place. You can also feel around the card reader for a skimmer. Is there any piece of the machine that’s bulging or off its alignment? If any part of it looks raised in places it shouldn’t be, or part of the machine is covering another part where it shouldn’t, that could be a sign that a skimmer was installed. Look at the card readerįirst, check to see if the credit card reader looks intact. But there are some ways you can spot a credit card skimmer before you swipe your card. Credit card skimmers aren’t meant to be seen, so you might not notice one at first glance.
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