With ATM skimming losses reaching up to 1 Billion dollars, criminals are not slowing down, but are changing tactics to exploit consumer debit and credit cards at the gas pumps.
Banks are taking measures to protect consumers from ATM skimmers by installing anti-skimming technology that jams skimmer readers with radio signals, monitoring the ATM physical characteristics for changes in the ATM image, and installing shields for the keypad.
Realistically, these are band aids for the big problem which is the security authentication process of the card itself.
No matter how secure your local bank makes their ATM's by installing this anti-skimming technology or monitoring their ATM's each day for unusual devices or characteristics, banks cannot protect consumers from gas pump skimming.
Gas stations do not have near the protection or monitoring that your local bank can provide.
At each gas station there are multiple card readers that are unattended which offer criminals ample opportunity to install discrete skimming devices.
The attendant at busy gas stations cannot tell if a customer is installing a skimmer, or if they are simply using the pump, especially if they are ringing up customers at the register.
Also, the cameras at gas stations are not designed to monitor the use of the card reader at the pumps but rather are used to watch for drive offs.
These new types of gas pumps skimmers are sold openly on the internet.
For a small investment and with little risk; an unscrupulous individual can easily purchase one of the devices, install it at a busy gas station along the interstate somewhere away from their local home town, and capture this information wirelessly by setting in their car a couple hundred feet away.
This risk can be mitigated by simply taking advantage of most gas station reward cards.
Many gas stations offer a rewards card that can be charged up by using your credit or debit card.
Following this process will not only significantly reduce your risk and exposure to gas pump card fraud but save you money.
You do want to save money on your gas bill right? No, I do not work for any gas company or grocery store, I am an information security professional.
Steps to reduce risk and save money at the gas pump 1.
       Obtain a rewards card from your local gas station or grocery store (typically these cards will give you up to.
03 cents off per gallon, so find a good gas station or store that offers this) 2.
       Use a rewards credit card  inside the gas station to purchase  an in store gift card that rewards you with points when you charge it up.
Make sure you ask the attendant in the store which card can be used for gas.
(a local gas station that I use gives me 1000 points for every $50 I charge) 3.
       Each time you purchase gas swipe you store rewards card, and then pay with your store gift card.
So now you save
Don't think that you will always notice the card skimmer at the gas pumps.
Criminals are becoming more and more crafty, and devices have been discovered inside gas pumps which would never be detected until the pump itself is serviced.
We had better be vigilant and protect our credit and debit card information, because banks and gas stations are not going to do it for us.
Banks are taking measures to protect consumers from ATM skimmers by installing anti-skimming technology that jams skimmer readers with radio signals, monitoring the ATM physical characteristics for changes in the ATM image, and installing shields for the keypad.
Realistically, these are band aids for the big problem which is the security authentication process of the card itself.
No matter how secure your local bank makes their ATM's by installing this anti-skimming technology or monitoring their ATM's each day for unusual devices or characteristics, banks cannot protect consumers from gas pump skimming.
Gas stations do not have near the protection or monitoring that your local bank can provide.
At each gas station there are multiple card readers that are unattended which offer criminals ample opportunity to install discrete skimming devices.
The attendant at busy gas stations cannot tell if a customer is installing a skimmer, or if they are simply using the pump, especially if they are ringing up customers at the register.
Also, the cameras at gas stations are not designed to monitor the use of the card reader at the pumps but rather are used to watch for drive offs.
These new types of gas pumps skimmers are sold openly on the internet.
For a small investment and with little risk; an unscrupulous individual can easily purchase one of the devices, install it at a busy gas station along the interstate somewhere away from their local home town, and capture this information wirelessly by setting in their car a couple hundred feet away.
This risk can be mitigated by simply taking advantage of most gas station reward cards.
Many gas stations offer a rewards card that can be charged up by using your credit or debit card.
Following this process will not only significantly reduce your risk and exposure to gas pump card fraud but save you money.
You do want to save money on your gas bill right? No, I do not work for any gas company or grocery store, I am an information security professional.
Steps to reduce risk and save money at the gas pump 1.
       Obtain a rewards card from your local gas station or grocery store (typically these cards will give you up to.
03 cents off per gallon, so find a good gas station or store that offers this) 2.
       Use a rewards credit card  inside the gas station to purchase  an in store gift card that rewards you with points when you charge it up.
Make sure you ask the attendant in the store which card can be used for gas.
(a local gas station that I use gives me 1000 points for every $50 I charge) 3.
       Each time you purchase gas swipe you store rewards card, and then pay with your store gift card.
So now you save
- .
03 cents each gallon - Gain rewards from your credit card
- Gain rewards from charging up the in store gift card(at 25,000 points my local gas station gives me $25 in free gas)
- Save your card from gas pump fraud exposure
Don't think that you will always notice the card skimmer at the gas pumps.
Criminals are becoming more and more crafty, and devices have been discovered inside gas pumps which would never be detected until the pump itself is serviced.
We had better be vigilant and protect our credit and debit card information, because banks and gas stations are not going to do it for us.
Source...