When you’re filling up for Labor Day Weekend excursions, do yourself a big financial favor and check for credit card skimmers at the gas pump. They’re still being found in Michigan a year after the first was discovered in the Grand Rapids area, state officials said.
About 70 credit card skimmers — devices equipped with small cameras and placed inside the pump, where they take images of the consumer’s credit card information — have been removed statewide, according to Jamie Clover Adams, director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, which regulates the state’s fuel pumps.
The skimmers, which can’t be seen from outside the pump, can be installed in seconds. Criminals use keys to open the pumps quickly, insert the skimmers, and then leave. The skimmers copy the consumer’s card information for criminals to make fraudulent purchases.
Local, state and federal regulators, various law enforcement agencies, and gas station owners continue to be on the lookout at gas pumps across Michigan as part of the ongoing efforts to crack down on consumer credit card information being hacked by credit card skimmers.
“Some steps station owners can take, and have taken, to protect their patrons from cyber-criminals are changing locks, using tamper-proof security tape, and security cameras,” Clover Adams said, adding that officials encourage station owners to increase their regular dispenser inspections.
Want to know how inspectors look for credit card skimmers? Read Beth Dalbey’s complete article, including video, at http://patch.com/michigan/shelby-utica/s/fvd9c/as-you-fill-up-for-labor-day-watch-for-credit-card-skimmers.
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