How to Prevent Credit Card Skimming
You can’t control where criminals place skimmers, but you can control which machines you use and how you use your cards. A few small habits make you a much harder target.
Choose Safer Locations
- Prefer well-lit, busy areas: Use ATMs and fuel pumps in high-traffic, well-lit locations. Criminals prefer isolated machines that they can tamper with without being noticed.
- Stay close to staff: At gas stations, pumps closest to the building or within clear view of staff are less likely to be compromised. Inside the station is safest of all.
- Use indoor ATMs: When you can, choose ATMs inside bank branches or major retailers rather than freestanding machines in lobbies, bars, or convenience stores.
Shield Your PIN
- Always cover the keypad: When entering your PIN at an ATM or point-of-sale terminal, use your other hand or your body to shield the keypad. This helps defeat hidden cameras, even if you don’t spot them.
- Avoid using your PIN when possible: If you can run your debit card as “credit” (no PIN required), do it. Or better yet, use a credit card for added fraud protection.
Use More Secure Payment Methods
- Tap when you can: Contactless payments (tap-to-pay cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, etc.) use tokenization and avoid swiping the magnetic stripe, which is most vulnerable to skimming.
- Prefer credit over debit: If you have a choice, use a credit card rather than debit. Credit cards generally come with stronger fraud protections and don’t give direct access to your checking account.
- Leverage mobile wallets: Hanson suggests using Apple Pay, Google Pay, or similar services whenever possible, as they provide one of the most secure ways to pay at a terminal.
Monitor Your Accounts Aggressively
- Check your transactions regularly: Get in the habit of reviewing your recent card activity every few days, not just once a month when the statement comes.
- Turn on alerts: Many banks and credit card issuers allow you to set up text or app notifications for every transaction or ones over a certain amount. Hanson highly recommends this: “Real-time updates on your card usage are super helpful!”
Often, the first sign you’ve encountered a skimmer is a small, “test” transaction. Catching that early lets you shut down the fraud before it escalates.
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