Is That a Skimmer Inside Your Pump?
With recent strings of skimming devices found throughout Nebraska, Iowa, and Michigan, it’s important to take the proper steps to ensure these fraudulent activities are not taking place at your locations. Unfortunately with skimmer devices, there is no specific technology or alerting mechanism that can warn us when a device is detected. So in order to prevent these devices from appearing at your locations, below are some recommended training steps to take for both you and your employees to reduce your risk.
- Know the signs: It’s difficult to find these fraudulent devices if you don’t even know what you are looking for, so have pictures available and show examples of what different types of skimming devices look like to your employees. The following article from the PCI Security Standards Council includes pictures of skimming devices.
https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org/documents/Skimming%20Prevention%20BP%20for%20Merchants%20Sept2014.pdf
- Look for changes: Sometimes the changes to a card reader can be very subtle, even unnoticeable, when a skimming device has been installed. Taking pictures of your equipment when it’s first installed can be helpful to compare the differences, but also installing security stickers can give an immediate sign when a device has been tampered.
- Follow the steps: What should you do if a skimming device is found? Do you call the police immediately or your legal counsel? The following article from the PCI Security Standards Council tackles some of these issues.
https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org/documents/PCI_SSC_PFI_Guidance.pdf
- Repeat: Fraudsters are constantly updating the technologies and techniques they utilize to skim credit card numbers off unsuspecting consumers. So ensuring you are staying on top of the above training steps will help reduce your risks and safeguard your customers against fraudulent activities.
Training can be your greatest asset when it comes to preventing skimming devices being installed at your locations. Ensuring all employees know what signs to look for, how to spot any changes, and what steps to take if a device is found, could save you and your business from being cast in an unfavorable light. Also don’t forget that training isn’t a onetime occurrence, and should be repeated on a routine basis to help stay ahead of the curve.
