Credit Card Skimmers Hit Cleveland
Cleveland, TN (WDEF) – Swiping a card at the gas pump has become habit for so many, but you could unknowingly become a victim of identity theft even though you still have your card…. but the numbers will be in the hands of someone else.
Matt Jenkins from the Cleveland Police Department said, "They are very simple to install. They take just a second or two."
Credit card skimmers can easily be purchased online and are relatively inexpensive, making them easily accessible for criminals.
"It’s not the units themselves that are illegal, it is the process they are used in that makes them illegal," said Matt Jenkins.
The Cleveland Police Department is looking for two groups of people that have come through the area and stolen multiple credit card numbers and using them to purchase thousands of dollars in gift cards from local stores….
There are a few ways you can protect yourself at the pump to make sure you don’t become a victim.
"If you are going to use your card at the pump and it asks you debit or credit, always use credit so at least you don’t have your pin," said Matt Jenkins.
"And nothing really stops you from actually grabbing the card reader like he said and touching it, because if they are there, they are going to fall off and so nothing stops you from reaching out there and just touching it."
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