Do you wiggle the card slot before you swipe your credit card?
That’s just one of the ways you can check for a credit card swimmer at the gas pump.
The Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center and the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation have released a new public service announcement with tips for consumers on how to prevent their card information from being stolen by criminals when they swipe it at the pumps.
The agencies said that most skimmers get into places deep inside the cabinet and may not be obvious, but they advised checking the following:
- Look at the pump and cabinet – do they look damaged or like they’ve been tampered with?
- Wiggle the card slot – is it loose?
- Look at the keypad – is it loose, or does it look like something has been placed on top of it?
FCIC and TDLR offered the following ways that consumers can protect themselves:
- Always use a credit card, not a debit card, if you’re not going to pay cash. This protects the PIN and prevents access to a bank account.
- Set card usage or transaction alerts for bank and credit card accounts. Most major banks offer apps that allow real-time monitoring of accounts.
- Regularly monitor credit card and bank statements for fraudulent charges or suspicious transactions.
- When possible, don’t swipe the credit card. Use tap to pay or a trusted payment app on a mobile phone to pay for fuel.
If a card skimmer is found, it’s the merchant’s responsibility to notify law enforcement and disable the pump until investigators can remove the device. Merchants are also required by law to notify TDLR within 24 hours.
Last year, San Antonio police found skimmers at more than two dozen gas stations. We created a map of all of the locations. You can also click here for more information about how to tell if there is a debit card skimmer on gas pumps and ATMs.