Yep, thieves are stealing people's money at the gas pump too, it's not just ATMs. Be careful out there, people...few are immune. All should use common sense and caution.
quote:
...It’s becoming a familiar scenario: Soon after filling up at the gas pump, a motorist learns that his bank account has been emptied.
What happened? Another case of “skimming,” in which crooks place a portable card-reading device—readily available over the Internet—inside the pump. When the customer inserts his debit card and enters the required personal identification number, the device captures both the data from the card’s magnetic stripe and the PIN.
...Debit cards an increasing target
Skimming is a bigger threat than ever, especially now that debit cards are estimated to account for nearly 60 percent of all “plastic” purchases.
Although ATMs are still a target, the bigger danger these days is at gas stations, where skimmers can be placed inside the pumps and never be noticed by consumers.
...How to protect yourself
There are ways to protect your PIN:
If you use a debit card at the pump, choose the “credit” screen prompt instead of “debit” so you don’t have to enter your PIN. The purchase amount will still be deducted directly from your bank account, but it’s processed through a credit card network, providing greater protection if fraud occurs. Under law, you have $50 of liability for credit card fraud. With debit cards, if you don’t report an unauthorized transfer or loss within two days, you could be liable for up to $500. Since it’s less likely that a skimmer can be placed on a card reader at a cash register, a PIN transaction is safer when done inside the station rather than at the pump itself. ....
