How to NOT get your credit card or debit card numbers stolen.

[SSEiYah]

There was a thread about this back in 2010:
http://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=22773

However this seems to be more prevalent now more than ever so I'm creating this just to create awareness. The more people aware of this kinda thing, the less skimmers we have to worry about. I was talking about it with a OKC Police Sergeant recently and he said he was aware of several incidents recently that were reported where people found skimmers and reported them.

Basically criminals will go online and buy these kits for a few hundred bucks and put them on ATMs. Typically its an overlay attached with glue or double sided tape that goes over the card reader that has its own card reader in it along with a battery and "computer" that captures the credit/debit card numbers.

It seems nearly all of them are like the photo below so basically you just gotta give the housing where you insert your card a good solid "pull" to see if it comes off, it should not. If it does, call the police. This applies to anywhere where you insert your card in a public place such as a gas station or ATM.

Regardless of skimmers, payment processors get hit as well. I've had my numbers stolen several times in the past, my main advice would also be to use a credit card instead of a debit card. If you are "anti-credit card" for whatever reason, dont be, just setup an automatic payment to pay the bill automatically and never worry about interest fees. The reason being is credit card companies are easier to deal with in getting the money back if your card does get stolen than debit/atm bank cards would be. Otherwise pay cash.

An example of one is here (source: reddit.com)

[Easy180]

We went to using credit cards several years back due to all of the breaches, but grew tired of having to swap out cards when we got hit even though we didn't lose any money.

We now use cash almost everywhere including gas stations to try to avoid the swapping cards fiesta.

[tfvc.org]

If that isn't bad enough, there was some found in Canada that goes in the slot, making it even more difficult to find.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/272567...l-information/

[FighttheGoodFight]

As I understand it once we moved to chip based readers this should be less of any issue no?

[tfvc.org]

As I understand it once we moved to chip based readers this should be less of any issue no?

They can read the information on the chip, which has the same information the magnetic stripe has. The difference between the two is the chip requires physical access whereas the stripe can be read within a certain distance away.

[jerrywall]

They can read the information on the chip, which has the same information the magnetic stripe has. The difference between the two is the chip requires physical access whereas the stripe can be read within a certain distance away.

You also can't easily clone a chip. I won't get into the technical details (unless someone is really curious) but while anyone with $100 who is willing to spend a bit of the time reading instructions on the internet can close magnetic strips (such as your waiter, your bartender, or someone who puts a reader on an ATM or gas pump), reverse engineering a chip is extremely complicated and expensive. This will surely not be the case forever, which is why they'll keep making changes to card security over time.

Also, even if you do clone a chip, you have to have the pin number to use it. You can use the strip without one.

[tfvc.org]

You also can't easily clone a chip. I won't get into the technical details (unless someone is really curious) but while anyone with $100 who is willing to spend a bit of the time reading instructions on the internet can close magnetic strips (such as your waiter, your bartender, or someone who puts a reader on an ATM or gas pump), reverse engineering a chip is extremely complicated and expensive. This will surely not be the case forever, which is why they'll keep making changes to card security over time.

Also, even if you do clone a chip, you have to have the pin number to use it. You can use the strip without one.

The thing is the people who put these skimmers in the machines have the resources. This isn't your average criminals doing this, these are gangs with resources and technical knowledge, they aren't stealing your info and using it to go on a spending spree online, they are selling credit card info to the highest bidder online. They have their own r and d departments, designing their own boards, creating the software to be able to read and decrypt the information on the chip.

These skimmers are not only reading the chips they are also recording the pin you enter on the ATM, one person who was talking about this said that it is best practice to enter in a wrong pin at first, the skimmer will take the first pin as the correct one, thinking it is right and not record the next one you enter in.

[BBatesokc]

I've been defrauded a couple of times. no idea if it was a chip reader or not. In one case it was a customer service agent who worked for Sprint. They wrote down mine and my wife's payment info from my account and used it to order some stuff.

I've had a handful of times where Amazon orders were placed that I didn't order and charged to my account. I've also had someone post all my personal info to reddit and people all over the US used it to apply for credit cards and one guy bought himself a car in California.

Honestly though, it's never been a hassle dealing with it. Usually it hit my BOK debit card, but a few times it was a regular credit card or someone just opened a new credit card or financing account based on my info.

BOK always credited my account back immediately, the credit cards disputed the charges and the credit bureaus never dinged me for the fake accounts opened.

I do check my statements all the time however and my credit score/history yearly. I also have since placed a 'credit hold' on my personal credit. I find this is the best protection against new accounts being opened and I get a notice any time someone tries to use my credit. When I apply for credit somewhere my credit report says they must call my cell phone and I must give them a password.

[Bunty]

Thanks, Brian, I'll try to remember to check what I inserting my card in the next time I get gas.

I try not to pay my restaurant meal with a credit card, especially if the waiter is going to go out of my sight to run it. Because I don't know how else a fraudulent charge turned up on my credit card. Reporting it and waiting on a new credit was a bit of an ordeal.