A new report has found that nearly a quarter of the American drivers believe that their card information was stolen at the gas stations.
The report from CompareCards.com has found that 23% suspect of being victims of such card skimming at a gas pump in the past 12 months.
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The figure significantly increases from 15% a year ago. Rising concerns of card skimming have also forced many drivers to change payment methods at the pump, the report added.
Around 51% of the respondents said they have changed the way they pay for gas due to skimming concerns. Last year, the figure stood at 38%.
Also, 37% of drivers said that now they are more worried about skimming now they were a year ago.
Skimming is where the user’s card data is stolen by attaching small devices at payment terminals or ATMs.
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By GlobalDataThese devices store the stolen data, which is then sold or used to make fraudulent purchases.
CompareCards chief industry analyst Matt Schulz said: “Card skimming at the pump has become more common because it is a low-hanging fruit for bad guys, and things might get a little worse before they get better.
“Fraudsters know that their work will become much harder once gas stations upgrade their terminals next year, so they’re likely to do whatever they can to take advantage of the opportunity.
“That’s yet another reason why it’s so important for Americans to build regular fraud checks into their financial routine, starting today.”
Card skimming has been a major issue at the gas stations for several years. Now, the stations are required to upgrade their payment terminals by October 2020. This will reduce such frauds.
