FRESNO, CA (KMJ) – Imagine your bank account emptied – your credit cards run up by criminals using high-tech methods.
A crook attaches a reader to an ATM, gas pump or other card reader to steal information from a card’s magnetic strip or computer chip.
Thieves may also use hidden wireless cameras to capture pin numbers.
Card skimming – it’s in the Valley.
Police have found card skimming devices at a number of Lemore gas stations over the past year, but because no arrests have been made – authorities don’t know how they are doing it.
Most gas stations do not yet have the chip system in place to protect cards, and gas stations approached about random pump inspections have generally flinched at the idea.
Police say using a credit card rather than a debit card can help consumers stop someone from compromising their pin number.
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