One of the easiest ways to protect yourself from Debit Card fraud is to be aware of your surroundings, including checking over a debit card terminal for a skimmer. A skimmer is a malicious card reader that records the information off of your card’s magnetic stripe when you swipe the card at a gas station or ATM terminal.
How can you tell when a skimmer has been installed?
The easiest way is to “wiggle” the card slot. Pull on the card reader and make sure a skimmer isn’t attached. You typically won’t have to pull very hard to detach a skimmer. Should you find a skimmer on the machine you’re using you should immediately notify the business so they can take the appropriate steps to notify customers that card data may be compromised.
Be vigilant about checking every machine for skimmers, not just gas stations and ATMs. ATMs located in a bank drive-thru lane can be just as vulnerable as an ATM located somewhere remote. It takes just as long to install a skimmer as it does to purchase a tank of gas and drive away.