There are thousands of people worldwide falling victims to credit card fraud and hacking by criminals well versed with technology. Such masterminds keep devising new and devious ways to acquire and scan sensitive information from credit cards and it becomes difficult for lay people to recognize the risks and dangers of such activity. Today tech savvy criminal also use a special skimming device to steal money and you could be falling prey to such a scheme at any location be it a restaurant, mall or store without you knowing it.
1 How to protect yourself from credit card fraud
Along with our own information here are guidelines issued by Ingenico which is a credit terminal manufacturer has issued guidelines on recognizing a skimmer present in standard terminals (ingenico iSC250). In this way one can recognize some tell tale signs that prove the terminal is being used as a skimmer to collect and commit credit card fraud.
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2 What is a skimmer?
Skimmers are malicious card readers that can easily scan all of the information off your credit card’s magnetic strip. They are attached to true payment terminals or could also be incorporated as fraudulent terminals which harvest data from any card that is swiped on the device. The thief then returns to collect the data from the compromised machine. Armed with the information he can then created cloned cards and break into bank accounts to steal money. The scariest fact is that skimmers allow an ATM or credit card reader device to function normally to ward off any suspicion.
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3 Skimming terminals are significantly larger than normal
A skimmer is always longer and wider than a terminal itself. A skimming terminal is always larger than a safe and true device, this is one of the main features to recognize and distinguish a fraudulent device from a true terminal.
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4 No button highlights
A skimmer that may have been inserted too quickly will block the button that you see highlighting the terminal.
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