How To Prevent Fuel Card Skimming at the Gas Pump

Every single day, 37 million Americans nationwide refuel their vehicles at gas stations. Of those 37 million, 29 million buy their fuel using debit or credit cards. That’s a lot of people, and credit card skimmers know this and seek to exploit it. So in what is to follow, we’ll discuss what skimmers do, how they do it and what you can do to protect yourself from them.

Skimming is a form of credit card / fuel card theft, in which a “skimmer” breaks into a legitimate card-accepting mechanism, like a gas pump, and leaves behind a small device that steals and stores the information of the fuel cards used there.

There are two particularly prevalent ways in which credit card skimmers seek to steal your credit card information that we’ll discuss today. In both cases, credit card skimmers physically hack into the pump and then add pieces of their own tech that resembles the original. For instance, in the first type of skimming, skimmers will break into the pump’s control panel and place their own bluetooth card reader alongside the original. In doing so, the skimmer is able to copy and store your card information before swiftly sending it to the skimmer’s cell phone through bluetooth.

The second form of skimming instead of leaving a card reader inside the pump a skimmer will attach a 3D printed external card reader that achieves the same goal as the first.

Below are photos that display both of the types of credit card skimming explained above.

Step 1: Do A Quick Visual Inspection

Fortunately, the threat of credit card skimming is not lost on any of the thousands of fuel stations scattered across the US. Meaning that many stations have already taken several precautions.

Experts suggest that the best way to protect yourself from credit card skimming is to use your eyes, your hands and your apps. First, to protect yourself from skimming take a careful look at the panel containing the card reader. There should be a sticker spanning across the divide that separates the card reader’s panel from the rest of the pump that reads, “VOID if broken”. If there isn’t a sticker or if the sticker is broken, then get in your car and head to the next pump because that pump has likely been tampered with or added to.

However, even though this a good measure of safety it’s not foolproof. Skimmers can buy their own stickers, leaving you and the station manager none the wiser that a certain pump has been hacked. So, this is where the next protection comes into play. Using your hands, jostle the card reader and press against the panel it’s secured to. If anything feels loose, or just out of place then there’s a good chance that that pump has been tampered with.

Step 2: Search For Odd Devices Via Bluetooth On Your Phone

If you’re not sure however, or if nothing loose on the pump can be found then there’s one last tool you can use to protect yourself from credit card skimming. As mentioned before, credit card skimmers depend on bluetooth technology to receive the information they’ve stolen. But unfortunately for credit card skimmers, bluetooth signals can be picked up by any bluetooth compatible device, which means that you can protect yourself just by opening up your cell phone. With the app Skimmer Scammer, your phone can be used to detect the device’s bluetooth signal and will alert you if a device is found.

Step 3: Use Pumps That Are Lees Likely to Have Skimmers

In addition to these tips, experts also suggest using pumps that are located closest to the station building because skimmers are less unlikely break into pumps that are within eye-shot of an attendant.

If you find a device, by any of the three ways discussed in the article please move to another pump but don’t do so until you have notified the gas station attendant so that the device can be removed immediately to prevent further credit card skimming.

Make sure your fuel card offers fraud protection so you won’t be stuck with an expensive bill full of fraudulent transactions. With a CNRG Fleet fuel card, fraudulent purchases made with your stolen information are covered and will be reimbursed.