Card Skimmers

I keep reading all these stories about “credit card skimmers” (designed to steal your card # & code).

Just saw one yesterday where 12 new skimmers were found at various gas stations around San Antonio…right after a bunch were found just weeks earlier!

Someone needs to explain something to me…

Why don’t these gas station owners & their staffs CHECK THEIR PUMPS EVERY SINGLE DAY???

Why don’t the big oil companies REQUIRE THEIR FRANCHISE OWNERS to do this as a condition for complying with their contract?

Me smells a damned rat. 🐀

– ALWAYS tug on the card reader HARD before dipping/swiping your card!

Usually, the legit ones are flush with the surrounding facia/structure (built right in) while the “skimmers” are placed ON TOP OF the real card readers.

Always TUG, no matter what machine or ATM you’re using.

– ALWAYS turn on your phone’s Bluetooth right near the pump. If it’s displaying a whole bunch of #s, there’s a good chance that there’s an electronic skimmer at play! Use another pump! (Note: This is NOT 100% foolproof, but better safe than sorry.)

And along that same line of NOT getting ripped off…

As a general guideline, do NOT ever enter your FB name & password into any link, message, video or posts YOU RECEIVE…even those that “appear” to be from a friend.

Do NOT ever accept a FB friend invite from an EXISTING friend of yours. If anything, contact them via their original profile or ask a mutual friend. (There may be a legitimate reason why people actually create a duplicate or new profile…but check it out first!)

Same goes for your normal, everyday life!

NEVER give your confidential information to a phone call, text or e-mail that YOU RECEIVE, regardless of how legit it appears.

I don’t care if it’s “your bank”…the police who “have your nephew” & he needs “bail money”…the “United States Tax Department” who are sending the “magistrate” after you for your tax debt…the dude with the foreign accent selling car warranties…or anyone else calling you & asking you for money or your account/card/confidential information.

NEVER depend on, or use, any link, website, application or phone number that was PROVIDED TO YOU.

If you need to contact a company, check your banking/credit card, your regular statement (not a special mailing) or Google for the proper number or web address.

Don’t be lazy or assume that the info you’re provided is actually legit. LOOKS DON’T MATTER!

These crooks & scammers will keep trying & trying & trying…they only need 1 in a million people to fall for their scheme in order for them to succeed.

Education about these bastards is essential to safeguarding your assets. And check on your parents & elderly relatives/friends are they’re the #1 victims (in terms of volume & average loss) as they spent most of their lives well before these scammers became so damned imbedded in today’s society.

In addition, while a great many of these calls originate from “boiler rooms” throughout India (with a prerecorded message in beautiful English at the start of the call), you CANNOT rely solely on the presence of an accent to detect something fishy.

Many countries, including Israel, and those in areas where outsourced customer service operations are common (Central America, the Caribbean, the Philippines, etc.) are hotbeds for these crooks.

Be careful. Be leery. Bee hive.

We now return you to your regularly-scheduled programming…

 

As always, thank you so very much for listening!