{"id":2313,"date":"2018-12-27T09:24:41","date_gmt":"2018-12-27T14:24:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/timothydimoff.com\/?p=2313"},"modified":"2018-12-27T09:24:41","modified_gmt":"2018-12-27T14:24:41","slug":"how-to-protect-yourself-from-atm-and-gas-station-pump-skimming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timothydimoff.com\/2018\/12\/27\/how-to-protect-yourself-from-atm-and-gas-station-pump-skimming\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Protect Yourself from ATM and Gas Station Pump Skimming\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
The holidays are a busy time of year where a lot of money changes hands and consumers become unwitting targets of all types of fraud. How about when you are getting cash out of the ATM or filling up your car on the way to Grandma\u2019s house? These are perfect opportunities for thieves to remotely steal your hard-earned cash, often without your knowledge until way after the fact.<\/p>\n
In this blog, we will discuss what point of sale \u201cskimming\u201d is and how to protect yourself from it this season.<\/p>\n
Ever heard of \u201cskimming off the top\u201d? This describes exactly what point of sale (POS) skimming scams are in today\u2019s electronic world. This type of theft occurs during legitimate transactions on POS systems where debit and credit cards are used on outdoor devices. Credit card information is \u201cskimmed off the top\u201d during the transaction, providing a quick score on your hard-earned money.<\/p>\n
The most popular locations for skimming\u00a0scams are ATMs and gas stations. Why? Because these POS systems are often unobserved by employees, which leaves the credit card systems vulnerable to scammers who tamper with the card readers. These are popular with criminals because the skimmers are also easy to create, install and use to obtain stolen credit card information quickly. For an added benefit, the skimming devices don\u2019t have to be retrieved; the stolen data is electronically transmitted directly to the criminal. If the skimmer is detected, the criminal simply stops receiving the illegally obtained data and will install a new skimming device at another location.<\/p>\n
There are some things to look for to help protect your credit card data from being \u201cskimmed\u201d. Before sliding a debit\/credit card through a POS card reader, look for the following warning signs<\/a> of tampering.<\/p>\n ATMS<\/p>\n Gas Station Pumps<\/p>\n When it comes to gas station pump skimmers, the good news is it is often only one pump that is compromised, but that one pump can cause a lot of heartache for those victims.<\/p>\n It\u2019s always a good idea to watch for these obvious signs of tampering. However, as technology evolves, so does the thief.<\/p>\n Skimming is not always easily detected, which is why it is always a good idea to trust your gut instinct and error on the side of caution. Be especially aware of skimming executed with near field communication (NFC) or radio frequency identification (RFID) skimming. In these types of schemes, the thief is often nearby since the theft is conducted via low frequency signals. In these types of case, consumers should watch out for<\/a>:<\/p>\n If you still don\u2019t feel your transactions are safe, consider the following:<\/p>\n Overall, always use situational awareness<\/a>, by being aware of your surroundings and trusting your gut instinct. If it doesn\u2019t \u201cfeel\u201d right, it probably isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n Situational awareness can save lives! Learn more with the Tim\u2019s Talk\u00a0How to Successfully Invoke Situational Awareness<\/a>. Feel free to\u00a0contact<\/a> Tim to schedule this important talk for your organization today!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The holidays are a busy time of year where a lot of money changes hands and consumers become unwitting targets of all types of fraud. How about when you are getting cash out of the ATM or filling up your car on the way to Grandma\u2019s house? These are perfect opportunities for thieves to remotely steal your hard-earned cash, often without your knowledge until way after the fact. In this blog, we will discuss what point of sale \u201cskimming\u201d is and how to protect yourself from it this season. What is Skimming? Ever heard of \u201cskimming off the top\u201d? This<\/p>\n\n
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Be Proactive<\/h2>\n
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Learn More About Situational Awareness with Timothy Dimoff<\/h2>\n