DELPHOS — Electronic theft is growing faster and faster. And in this
pay with plastic world, that’s become especially true at the gas pump.
As security measures increase in the retail world, gas pump security
lags. It is also true that as technology becomes more sosphiscated,
skimmers are becoming more and more prevalent. These devices enabled
thieves to steal $2 billion last year.
According to Delphos Chief
of Police Mark Slate, no skimmers have been found in Delphos. He urges
customers to use pumps near the building or go inside to pay rather than
slide and go outside. Skimmers have not been found in the City of Van
Wert nor the county. Likewise none have been found in Putnam County.
Easy
to find and cheap to buy, the devices can be purchased online for as
little as $100. And the pumps themselves make pretty easy targets since
they rely on the use of cards with magnetic strips instead of the EMV
chips, now a part of many in-store card machines. According to
Creditcards.com, the magnetic strip is “the last bastion,” for thieves.
The magnetic strip cards lacks the layers of security that chip cards
possess. Fuel station owners don’t have to update their pumps until
October 2017. It’s an expensive and time consuming process. According to
CreditCards.com, the industry will spend $3.9 billion revamping the
80,000 gas pumps across the nation.
In addition, fuel station
owners generally use a master key for their pumps and that is easy to
obtain. Skimmers are now being placed inside pumps themselves rather
than using a device attached to the outside of the pump.
Besides
following the Chief Slate’s advice, there are other precautions,
consumers can take. Creditcard.com lists several ways to prevent thief
at the pump. Look for the pumps security seal. If it’s broken or the
word void appears on it it’s best to avoid that pump. Use a credit card
instead of a debit card. If a credit card is skimmed it’s protected by
the card’s zero-liability policy, but if you use your debit card, and
thieves have your pin, they can cause real damage to your bank account.
Creditcard.com also said in an online article if the use of the card
feels strange, then don’t use it. If a thieve has swapped out a card
reader attached to the skimmers they can deliver a strange feeling to
the inserted card. If you notice this cancel the transaction and pay
inside instead.