Beware of skimmers when using debit cards at the pump
By Herb WeisbaumPaying at the pump with a debit card is fast and convenient, but these days it's also risky. MultimediaThieves have a variety of devices that let them secretly snag your account number and pin code when you pay at the pump. Over the the last few years, it's happened at gas stations throughout the Puget Sound area. Now, it's happening in Vancouver in Southwest Washington. The Vancouver Police Department is getting reports from motorists who have gassed up and paid with a credit or debit card at the pump. A short time later, they noticed unauthorized charges on their card, most of them made in California. The bad guys are so good that there's no way to spot the little electronic device they hide inside the pump. The skimmer gathers account numbers and pin numbers for the bad guys to harvest later. Two years ago, I warned you about this same problem at gas stations in Puyallup. Nancy was one of the victims. She had her debit card number and pin code stolen. The bad guys used cash machines in California to clean out her bank account. "It's kind of scary when all of a sudden your money is gone," she said. She found out about the crime when she went to use her debit card to buy groceries. "Went to use my debit card and it didn't work. So I put it back in and it said no funds. And I thought, 'That's really odd.' I knew I had money in the account," said Nancy. The skimming scammers had taken $500 from her account and $900 from her husband's account. Nancy says she'll never get burned this way again. Now when she fills up, she pays the old-fashioned way. "Cash, only cash," she said. "I'll go inside and take the extra time to go in." |
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February 9, 2012
- Roseburg, Oregon
