In this tech savvy day and age, white collar crimes and fraudulent activity are becoming easier and easier to access which means the risk of being affected is very high. One of the more recent dangers to look out for are credit skimmers used on atm’s or more commonly gas pumps at your local gas stations.
If you have taken a criminology class, you may have learned about skimmers in depth but for those who haven’t: Skimmers are small devices that can scan and store credit card data from the magnetic stripe. They are usually affixed over a credit card slot in order to steal credit and debit card information when bank customers slip their cards into the machines. Once the card is run through the skimmer, the data is recorded, and these thieves can sell the information on the Internet.
And this happens more often than you would think. About $350,000 are stolen each day through the means of credit card skimmers. State inspectors have found six credit card skimming devices at gas pumps here in the Tampa Bay Area! These locations include:
- Radiant Food Store # 226, 110 E. Bearss Ave, Tampa
- Joy Food Store #650 6314 E Fowler Ave, Tampa
- 818 Market Place, 818 W. Platt St., Tampa
- CITGO Quick Mart, 6101 S. MacDill Ave., Tampa
- Shell Gas Station 4015 S. West Shore Blvd., Tampa
- Shell Gas Station 6416 S. Dale Mabry Highway.
What can you do to prevent your card from being skimmed?
First off, I recommend staying away from these gas stations listed above. You can also pay cash inside the store to totally protect your card information. Check the door on the front of the pump to make sure it's closed because some gas stations put security tape there to help see if the door's been opened or tampered with.
Another key tip is to refrain from using pumps far from the store and out of view of the attendant inside as those are the pumps where the skimmers usually are found. Using a credit card, not a debit card or running it as credit can help because credit cards have better fraud protection and you don’t have to type in your pin. And always, always, always, keep tabs on your bank statements, so you know what you spent and where you spent it. If you see something suspicious it helps to catch it early on.
Hope these tips will help you in preventing your credit card information from being stolen.
