Card Skimmers / Computer Scams

Credit card skimmers are devices that are illegally attached to card readers on gas pumps, ATMs and at retail outlets that read and record a user’s card data. That information is used to commit fraud by duplicating the card information. Often the data is bundled and sold repeatedly on the “dark web” of the internet and passed around the world.

These skimmers are virtually undetectable to the eye; they are custom built to blend into the hardware they attach to. The technology allows crooks to record or transmit the data without the cardholder knowing they have been breached.

These devices have become a growing concern for law enforcement; in recent months skimmers have been found on ATMs and gas pumps in virtually every county in south central Pennsylvania and all over the state.

Last month, two devices were found inside the pumps of a Harrisburg gas station; police are circulating a photo of the man they suspect of placing the device.

On the Thursday edition of Smart Talk, WGAL’s Consumer Investigator Brian Roche examines this high-tech theft with Newberry Township Police Detective Steven Lutz who, earlier this year, broke up a criminal enterprise using skimming devices in York County. Christine Cronkright of the PA Bankers Association will discuss ways consumers can protect themselves from such devices and Pennsylvania State Representative Kristin Phillips-Hill will talk about legislation designed to confront identity theft via card skimmers.

Also, the internet is rife with fraud – and one scam in particular is locking up computers and costing consumers money. We’ll discuss the dangers on the internet with Professor Andrew J. Hacker, the Cybersecurity Expert In Residence at Harrisburg University.

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