POLICE officers are warning customers to watch out for devices that are stealing people’s PINs.
According to officers, the scams have been taking place at gas stations.
Texas authorities revealed that a card skimmer is placed inside a card reader at a gas pump which can read the magnetic stripe on your card when you slide it in.
In addition to being able to read the strip, there may also be a hidden camera to record the numbers you enter into keypads.
Odessa police officers stated that the skimmers are very hard to notice if one is not looking for them, CBS affiliate KOSA reported.
Authorities stated that the best way to avoid having your card compromised would be to go inside the store to pay or use a zip code and not a card PIN at the pump.
Police stated that people can also check to make sure the security tape seal at the pump has not been tampered with before swiping the card.
The outlet states that if anyone believes they have been the victim of a skimmer device, they are encouraged to contact their bank, monitor their accounts, and report any unauthorized transactions.
Odessa police are also asking for assistance in collecting information about skimmer devices.
Anyone willing to report a skimmer location is encouraged to contact the Odessa Police Department at 432-335-3333 or Odessa Crime Stoppers at 432-3333-TIPS.
The attempted skimming at gas stations comes after Secret Service agents nabbed 13 skimming devices after sweeping 472 grocery stores.
“We have a joint operation with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Department of Agriculture,” Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Jacksonville Field Office Peter Andrews told local CW affiliate WJXT.
“It’s a two-tier mission for us. The first part of the mission is to identify, locate, and extract any skimmers that are found on ATMs and or point-of-sale terminals or gas pumps.
“If we happen to find one, we’ll extract it and bring it for further investigation.”
Officers believe brazen thieves are disproportionately targeting EBT funds – bleeding vulnerable senior citizens dry.
Special Agent Chad Balsamo detailed several warning signs that criminals have attached a skimming device to card readers.
What is a skimmer device?
A skimmer device is a fraud tool designed to steal sensitive information from credit or debit cards during transactions.
- Imagine a skimmer device as a sneaky thief that hides on ATMs or card machines.
- Its job is to secretly steal your credit or debit card information when you use it for a transaction.
- These devices are like tiny spies that can copy your card details, including the card number and PIN, without you even realizing it.
- Skimmers can be cleverly disguised to look just like the regular card reader, making them hard to spot.
- Once they have your information, bad guys can use it to make fake cards or buy things without your permission, causing a lot of trouble and stress.
- It’s important to always be cautious and check for anything unusual on card machines before using them to protect yourself from these sneaky devices.
“I’m just looking to see if there’s anything on top that feels loose, you know, any type of foreign overlay that’s not supposed to be on the device,” he explained.
“Then, we can also insert this skimming checking device that Target provided for their point-of-sale terminals, which if there was one, you wouldn’t be able to insert this all the way.”
According to officials, Florida has become a hotspot for fraudsters.
“Everywhere from Miami up to Jacksonville, we certainly in the Jacksonville field office have had multiple investigations into skimming devices,” Andrews continued.
The U.S. Secret Service estimated their removal prevented a potential loss of $1.3 million.
More than 3,500 point-of-sale terminals, gas pumps, and ATMs were inspected, which means thousands of business owners were also educated on what to be on the lookout for.