App to scan for card skimmers at gas pumps

Status
Not open for further replies.
Interesting because my girlfriends cc card was just stolen. She made a small purchase at Walmart and someone made a large purchase in Missouri the same time. Bank caught it and shut it down. Never realized gas pumps were so infected. When you think about it, no one pays any attention to those pumps in the large self service stations. They just take readings of the gallons pumped and may not have to go outside for that. I may try that app.
 
The article also says that users can also use their Bluetooth on their phone and scan for something called HC-05. If that comes up then it's likely a slimmer device is nearby. Handy to know. No need to get the app.
 
I'm wondering when the first smart card (aka "chip card") systems will be used for POS terminals like pay at the pump. They're already used at self-checkout at stores. They're pretty much immune to skimming. I think a description would be that they receive a "token" that gets fed through an algorithm on the chip inside the card, and there's a unique response. With a different token sent for each transaction, there's nothing that can be used to reverse-engineer the algorithm just by monitoring the entire transaction.
 
Originally Posted By: y_p_w
I'm wondering when the first smart card (aka "chip card") systems will be used for POS terminals like pay at the pump. They're already used at self-checkout at stores. They're pretty much immune to skimming. I think a description would be that they receive a "token" that gets fed through an algorithm on the chip inside the card, and there's a unique response. With a different token sent for each transaction, there's nothing that can be used to reverse-engineer the algorithm just by monitoring the entire transaction.
The original deadline was now, October 2017, but it has been pushed back to 2020. Getting the pumps compliant was more complicated, and costlier than planned.
 
Originally Posted By: StevieC
Are you responsible for the charges if your card is skimmed?
For virtually every credit card out there, no.. debit cards, however, are a different story. This is one major reason I've switched to ONLY using a dedicated credit card with a $500 limit to buy gas for my car.
 
I've been nailed twice by skimmers in the last year. There was a 2-3 months stretch where lots people in my area were getting skimmed. Its been a big problem at a few gas stations near my office but they believe they caught the person responsible. The first time I noticed was when my card declined just a few hours after getting gas, then the second time my bank called and asked if I was making purchases out of town. This is on my debit card, and the bank didn't hold me responsible for any of it. Now I only keep $100 in the account it is associated with, and if I need more I move the exact amount I need into the account right before the purchase.
 
I have only seen one gas pump so far that you push your card into and leave it there. I figured it must have a chip reader.
 
Are these skimmers obvious? I've seen a few slots that seemed abnormally large, so I gave them a bit of a jiggle to see if they'd come loose before sliding my card in.
 
Originally Posted By: SirTanon
Originally Posted By: StevieC
Are you responsible for the charges if your card is skimmed?
For virtually every credit card out there, no.. debit cards, however, are a different story. This is one major reason I've switched to ONLY using a dedicated credit card with a $500 limit to buy gas for my car.
Wow we have 0 credit card liability in Canada. That's terrible you are on the hook. frown I just recently had my card compromised and I called the company, they canceled the card, sent me a new one and reversed the charges. All I had to do was give them a verbal (this isn't mine) and that's it. Funny thing is it was my Amazon Visa card from Chase Bank (Canada)
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: gathermewool
Are these skimmers obvious? I've seen a few slots that seemed abnormally large, so I gave them a bit of a jiggle to see if they'd come loose before sliding my card in.
No. Some are internal, using the real credit card reader that makes the purchase, but has a piggy-back plugged in that saves the info to be retrieved later. That is why scanning for Bluetooth can detect it, that is how they get the data off of it. The older ones were external and could be spotted pretty easily, if you looked for it (which most people don't).
 
Originally Posted By: SirTanon
Originally Posted By: StevieC
Are you responsible for the charges if your card is skimmed?
For virtually every credit card out there, no.. debit cards, however, are a different story. This is one major reason I've switched to ONLY using a dedicated credit card with a $500 limit to buy gas for my car.
This. My credit card company is great about this. Always notify me when something happens and shut it down (Cabela's Visa). My friend had this happen to his debit card, and the person emptied his bank account. He got it back, but it was quite the battle with the bank. I feel the credit card is a safety net.
 
Originally Posted By: StevieC
Are you responsible for the charges if your card is skimmed?
My gal had her Valero card skimmed at the station a mile from our house. When she found a bogus charge in Houston on her bill she notified Valero. She sent them the police report and jumped through the MANY hoops they put in her path. A sworn statement was required from them that she was not in Houston and did not buy gas there. All this krapolla over a bogus $60 charge. They reluctantly refunded her money about 60 days after it was reported. Needless to say we do not buy fuel there anymore or from any Valero for that matter. The local PD never got back to us even once after taking the report. Disappointing since this is a small town.
 
Originally Posted By: Carmudgeon
The original deadline was now, October 2017, but it has been pushed back to 2020. Getting the pumps compliant was more complicated, and costlier than planned.
They did it here, and plenty moved forward long before the supposed deadline. Here, just about everything is chip only, or tap, but don't get me started on that. I can't find a single gas pump that's had a swipe for at least a couple years, and a fair bit longer than that for some companies.
 
Originally Posted By: Garak
Originally Posted By: Carmudgeon
The original deadline was now, October 2017, but it has been pushed back to 2020. Getting the pumps compliant was more complicated, and costlier than planned.
They did it here, and plenty moved forward long before the supposed deadline. Here, just about everything is chip only, or tap, but don't get me started on that. I can't find a single gas pump that's had a swipe for at least a couple years, and a fair bit longer than that for some companies.
The swipe card reader has been around for a long time, but they are referring to the chip reader, where you have to leave the card in for 10-20 seconds.
 
Yes, that's what I meant, too. We've had the cheap reader for a number of years. They actually have a hybrid system at the pumps, where if your chip isn't working, it'll tell you, and it will use the stripe. For some pieces of hardware and some merchant providers, that's disabled. Swipe certainly has been around exceedingly long. The first chip readers I've seen at our pumps had to have been about five years ago. As I recall, Husky Energy was the first to bring them in. Now, I can't find a card reader at a pump that isn't a chip reader.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

S
Pre paid gas card that works at the pump?
2
Replies
34
Views
889
Jimmy9190
OVERKILL
The real cost of wind and solar: Why rates don't match the claims
4 5 6
Replies
109
Views
8K
4WD
Jackson_Slugger
Exxon, Total Poised to Win Stakes in Giant Qatar Gas Project
Replies
5
Views
823
PimTac
SwampSurvivor
Pulled the Bed Off of My Truck to Prep for a Flatbed
Replies
12
Views
1K
researcher
GON
Went to dropoff Christmas gifts for in need girls at a local church and sign stated "needing gas"
2
Replies
22
Views
2K
Leo99
Top