PSA – Credit Card Skimmers

I have not had an ATM card for over ten years. I have never had a debit card. Both may be convenient but both are also a security risk. I do have a credit card which is used sparingly and pay the balance off at the end of the month.

At the end of August, my wife’s card information on our joint account was stolen and the bank notified her two weeks later of suspicious activity. I would have thought that a Foreign Finance Fee charges would have been an early flag. She is still in the process of “contesting” fees even though the bank told us everything would be cleared up within 30 days. Her personal credit card information was stolen two weeks later.

My card’s information was stolen by a skimmer when I purchased gas two weeks. How do I know? The bank representative looked at my statement and told me from experience in our area where it happened. The bank did not notify us about my card: we were checking to see if my wife’s contested charges were resolved when she saw my card had multiple $1000 charges against it.

Points for your consideration:

1. The new “secure” credit cards with chips can be “skimmed” or copied with an RFID reader.
2. The newer credit cards that can be read by proximity may be “secure” from a skimmer. Then again…
3. Credit card fraud is covered by the “bank”. The bank is reimbursed from the government according to our bank representative. ATM and debit cards are not covered and are usually a total loss.
4. The police are usually too “busy” to investigate or know that prosecution will be thrown out by district attorneys who care more about being woke than about theft and fraud.
5. New skimmers are 1mm thick and are “probably” made by a state sponsored agency. In other words, a country such as China has developed this technology to attack our economy. Which is why the government is covering the losses on credit cards.
6. If you use a credit card for gas, go inside to pay for your gas to avoid skimmers.
7. My bank representative told us that they have seen skimmers at every gas station here except for the one that is open 24/7. Skimmers have exploded in this country (think Fentanyl).
8. You can have your credit card send a text message to your phone every time a credit card purchase is transacted.
9. Limit your credit card purchases by using cash whenever possible.
10. Lower the maximum limit on your card if you do not need it.

David DeGerolamo