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Hello my friends,
FYI: WARNING; pumping your gas at the service station, we now have to be extra careful when using pay at the pump. I am now a victim of bank fraud, a card reader took my credit card number and zip code. We were taken for $2000.00; we believe it was caught in time.

Advice, always use the inside of the station credit machine, when paying for the gas.


Jim T

hopefully everything is credited back to your account. It is always a bit concerning hearing these things becuase you would think that a gas station credit card machine would be safe.

Hope all the money gets returned.

Kevin

Jim, which gas station was it at? I noticed you are in Van Nuys, I am in that area all the time passing through, wanted to know which station to avoid!

The money is returned on a lown in 24 to 48 hrs. You can't close the account until after the bank does the research for the fraud. If you close the account before the fraud cases are reviewed than you are liable for the money. I was told by WAMU Bank.

This person went on a Gas Station fuel spree. From CA, AZ and IA. Fuel charges of $405.00, $350.50, $501.50 and other charges.

I was told by the police that card readers in Van Nuys is on the high end, right now.

I was told that they are targeting ARCO's, but I never use Arco, I don't like the gas.

My sister was hit last week, she lives in sherman oaks. Same type of thing. Not sure what kinda station though. Do you know where you got hit at?

I filled up at Valiero, on the corner of Magnolia and Kester, which is in Sherman Oaks, on 5/30/08.


Jim

I dont get it. How does it work? what did you do that made it so they could get your money?

From stories I've seen on the news, the suspects somehow get a card scanner that fits over the real one on the pump. It reads all your info, and then records your zip when you punch it in. Other types are just a strip thin enough to fit in the slot itself. This happens at ATMs too. So if you see something sticking out of the card slot or one that doesn't quite look right, inform the clerk.

Thanks Jim for the heads up...sorry you had to go through all of that....I'm sure it will fixed and you will be able to get it fixed in your favor

Mattlures wrote:I dont get it. How does it work? what did you do that made it so they could get your money?

http://www.uboc.com/about/main/0,,2485_ ... 51,00.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Credit_card_fraud#Skimming

Wow thanks for the Warning and explinations. I would have never noticed. Now I will be looking for it. Thats scary

It just goes to show what this world is coming to. A handshake is no good any longer for making deals, you cant trust anybody anymore.

There are many ways they can steal your information. Here is a link to a video that shows how it is done at an ATM. Bottom line, check you ATM or Gas pump for anything that looks out of the ordinary. If it does not look right, pull, push or check it out before you use it if you have to. Also, look around, sometimes they need someone with binoculars to watch you put your PIN number in. I know I feel stupid doing this, but cover the key pad with your other hand so a camera or someone else cannot see what you have entered.

http://consumerist.com/consumer/id-thef ... 259050.php

Be very careful when you are filling up your vehicle. I watched a guy pull up to the pump do his credit card and start filling his car. He walked into the store for something and aother car pulled up on the other side of the pump took the nozzle out of this guys car and started filling his own car. I immediately call the police and gave them this guys licence number. I yelled at the guy and he threw the nozzle down and took off.

Don't leave the pump unattended
jb

John,
That's really good advice. People who do this kind of thing are really bold.
It seems like the "easier" technology makes things, the more vulnerable we are to being taken advantage of, like with identity theft and internet scamming.

Criminals have been attaching credit card skimmers to gas pumps at Arco stations in California, stealing over $100,000 so far from about 80 people.

The victims purchased gas at Arco stations, which only accepts cash or debit cards. Thieves attached a card-reading device to the payment machine's keypad that allows them to steal bank card numbers and personal identification codes.

It can be hard to spot a modded card reader or ATM machine, although if you see something that looks blatantly tacked-on you might want to think twice before swiping your card there. Snopes suggests you "get into the habit of using the same ATM for almost all of your transactions so as to better recognize when something is different with the machine."


Jim

I always inspect the reader closely, then try to pull the reader off the pump before putting my card in.

This happens far too often these days. Be careful out there!

Roger

Maybe a good idea is don't use a debit card. I think credit card charges are a little safer in terms of getting your money back.
Or get a gas card for the station/brand you usually use. Maybe those are safer.
I don't know, just guessing, and I've never had this happen to me.
Although I did have someone use my credit card number to go on a shopping spree in San Diego. Fortunately, the credit card co. took those charges off when my wife disputed them.
That's why I don't get annoyed when a clerk asks me for I.D., although it does bother me when they say my D.L. photo isn't me, just because it still has brown hair!

Mark.. Read Jim's original post. His CC number & zipcodewere taken. I work in the IT field, and it seems only logical that if the scimmers can read a debit card number they can also read a CC number. Likewise for the pin or zip.. Just check the insert slot & keypad before using it. If these scimmers are quickly removeable then they can't be fastened too securely. Most people who get caught by these scammers are not looking for anything, and just slide their cards in blind.

I for one will be taking a closer look at the card slot & keypad from now on!

THanks for the thread, Jim!!

Saul

Guys.....15 years ago when I was a Security manager at Analog Devices, I played around with our "New, state of the art" card readers. I was setting it up so that someone could come to my office, swipe their card in a reader, then get their access level updated. One day when I was bored, I swiped one of my CC's. It gave me all the numbers.

I can just imagine what 15 years of technology has done.......if it could be gotten then , you know it can be gotten now......take the extra time to go inside a store and deal with the clerk..........

I second that thought, Gator. I personally have been using the pay at the pump units for a while now, but I think it might be time to take an extra minute or two & be a little safer.

Paying inside doesn't always work either. It must have been about 6 months ago that I saw on the news where they busted some gas station attendants who had portable card readers and as soon as you left your card with them, they swiped the card, which stored the information. They also mentioned a waiter at restaurant who was busted doing the same thing.....

James