Not even a gas pump is safe when it comes to stealing information from credit cards.It’s called a skimmer – an electronic device planted at the gas pump – that copies information from the thousands of credit cards used to purchase gas every day. To the person buying gas, the transaction goes through as it normally would. The pump dispenses the gas, and the victim drives off, unaware that his or her credit card number has been “skimmed.”Skimmers were discovered at four gas stations at least in the Colorado Springs area this summer. Denver also experienced a rash of credit card skimming this summer, said Lt. Lari Sevene, public information officer for the El Paso County’s Sheriff’s Office.When enough data is collected, the skimmer is removed and taken to a safe location where the card numbers are offloaded and used to make duplicate credit cards. Or, the numbers are sold on the Internet.That process is low technology compared to high-tech thieves who install skimmers the size of a cell phone that transmit credit card information through the wireless network.People should be suspicious if they see someone using a laptop computer within 50 yards of a gas station, Sevene said.Some inept scam artists could damage the pump when removing its cover in order to install the skimmer, but most of the time, it’s really hard to tell if a pump has been tampered with, she said.According to an article on credit card fraud at www.consumerreports.org, there are only a couple of pump manufacturers, and it’s easy for a disgruntled employee to copy the key that opens the door to the pump’s inner workings.Some gas station managers wrap security tape around the pump, but most scam artists are smart enough to replace the security tape.”It seems like every time they [the managers] find something to fix the problem, the thieves find another angle,” Sevene said.Using a debit card at a pump with a skimmer is even worse because the cardholder’s PIN is also copied, enabling the thief to empty a person’s bank account at an ATM machine.Carol Odell of the Better Business Bureau of Southern Colorado said she is aware of a woman who bought gas this summer in the Colorado Springs area using a debit card. When the woman checked her account a few days later, she had a balance of $1.96.If using a debit card at a gas station, choose the screen prompt that identifies the debit card as a credit card, Odell said.The purchase is still deducted from the bank account, but it’s processed as a credit card transaction, which doesn’t require the PIN number, she said.Sevene said the risk of purchasing gas from a pump that’s been compromised is lower at stations where the pumps are monitored by video cameras.Some stores, like Costco, have a person on duty to monitor the pumps.Odell said scam artists are more likely to target places where the gas station closes at night. “That’s when they put the device in and take it out,” she said.”A lot of the responsibility lies with the business owners. The business owners have to pay attention and inspect the gas pumps every day,” Sevene said. “They should check to see if they’ve been tampered with, and check whoever comes to work on the gas pumps.”According to the Federal Trade Commission Web site, the cardholder’s maximum liability for unauthorized use of a credit card is $50. If the loss involves a credit card number but not the loss of the card itself, the cardholder has no liability for unauthorized use.The rules are different for debit cards and depend on when the cardholder reports unauthorized activity. The FTC states the cardholder is liable for unauthorized transfers involving the debit card number (but not the loss of the card) that occur 60 days after the mailing of the cardholder’s bank statement showing the unauthorized withdrawals.Experts suggest checking credit card and bank statements for any suspicious transactions as soon as the statement arrives – it benefits all cardholders.
