Protect Yourself from Card Skimming at the Gas Pump

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Recently, card skimming has been a hot topic in our area. There is a group of professional criminals placing skimmers on gas pumps along the 1-81 corridor. How can you protect yourself from the agony of a fraud claim? Here are our 6 best tips:

Recently, card skimming has been a hot topic in our area. There is a group of professional criminals placing skimmers on gas pumps along the 1-81 corridor.

F&M Bank has been in contact with the Secret Service in Richmond to help combat this issue and protect our customers. The Secret Service has shared the following information:

Skimmers are placed inside the gas pumps making detection near impossible. There is a Bluetooth device being plugged into the card reader on the inside of the pump that is capturing card and PIN numbers. The criminals have even created stickers that look legitimate in order to convince consumers that the gas pump is secure.

How can you protect yourself from the agony of a fraud claim? Here are our 6 best tips:

1) Pay for your gas inside the store. You will completely avoid the skimming device.

2) Do not use pumps located farthest away from the store. They are hardest for store employees to monitor and most likely to be targeted.

3) If you pay at the pump, ALWAYS run your card as credit. If you enter your PIN, the criminals then have the number which can lead to fraudulent ATM withdrawals and larger losses.

4) Sign up for transaction text alerts. Knowing each time your card is used can give you the power to shut down your card quickly if an unauthorized transaction comes through. We offer this service through our mobile app!

5) Be sure your card issuer has your current phone number and offers 24/7 fraud watch so that you can be contacted when suspicious activity takes place.

6) Finally, fraud losses are covered by the card issuer, and this offers some relief. It may take up to 10 days to get your money back, which is a financial hardship and can be stressful, but you will recover your losses!

We understand that fraud can be an extremely frustrating situation, that is why we’re offering these tips. Help us protect your money and be cautious when paying at the pump!