Possible skimmer in the 'hood

Well, our credit card has been pilfered - again. Seems like about every 2 years. The only place we use it outside of the occasional dinner (which hasn't happened in a few months) is at the local gas pumps.

Just a heads up - watch out!

Thank you for the alert cydl.

The hood and local gas pumps really help to pin point the troubled area?

I have a strong suspicion of where it may have occurred but that is not enough for me to publicly call out a local business. What if I'm wrong? Then I've just given a local business an undeserved black eye.

Just take a good look at those slots before you swipe your card. Don't know whether this is worthwhile or not (should have tried it maybe!), but a guy I know always puts a bogus card in first, like one of those fake cards you get in junk mail, and wiggles it around to see if there's anything in the slot before inserting his credit card. Another suggestion I've been given is to use a gift card rather than a regular credit card.

If I am using a club card (Safeway or King Soopers) to get fuel discounts prior to swiping my credit card, is it safe to assume that since the reader also identified my club card that it is a legit credit card reader and not a skimmer? That is does the club card information pass through the skimmer?

I can say that Safeway Fuel is as safe as we can make it. I know for 2 reasons, one I regulary clean the sweepers at the pump, and I work there. Now what I do see a lot of is 1/2 receits that are left in pumps, I go out and check but some will get though, so remember no big a hurry you're in wait until the whole receit is done, this also has your carwash number on it....

Just read this and wanted to share the little bit I heard/read somewhere about this. I won't bore you all with a long post, but just know that the move to the inserted chip in our credit/debit cards is to prevent this form of theft. I heard or read a few weeks ago that this chip has been mandated, and gas stations have been given an extension in the deadline to implement the installation of new chip card readers (understandably since the cost to replace/modify gas pumps is much higher than the majority of other cc/dc accepting vendors). I don't recall the new deadline for gas pumps. Maybe others know more of the details.

And I think it was Clark Howard's radio show that covered this (I was recently in Georgia where he has a radio show).

I hope this helps, and thanks to the original poster for raising our awareness. I think I'll get the exercise and walk in to pay for my gas...maybe even start using cash, again.

Yes, thanks all. A friend goes to a particular station and gets hacked very often.

The date on the 2nd to the last post was OCT.28 2015....WOW...it is still going on? THAT should be reported to the proper agency...jmo

I was hacked at Loaf n Jug several years ago. Instead of jiggling the reader slot for a "skimmer", I quit going there.