This Free App Can Protect You From Hidden Credit Card Skimmers
When you put your card in a gas station or ATM, you risk accessing your information.
To some extent, skimming is one of those things that you don’t understand as victims until it happens. Over the past few months, I have had several friends who have discovered that their credit card numbers were being used by identity thieves, who allegedly hijacked their credit card details while refueling or withdrawing money. Now there is an app that can help you avoid becoming a victim.
An app called Skimmer Scanner (unfortunately there is no iPhone version) looks for a Bluetooth module near an ATM or gas station, which is commonly used with credit card skimmers. ZDNet explains that the module is what normally allows skimmers to download all the credit card numbers they grabbed without being discovered. The skimmer sends the number to the module, where they are all stored until someone comes to pick them up. Since the person does not physically interact with the skimmer, he can simply sit in a car nearby or even stand next to a faulty pump at a gas station, loading rooms.
You might think that a device broadcasting a Bluetooth signal would get someone’s attention, but apparently not.
However, this Bluetooth signal can work to your advantage. Using Skimmer Scammer, the app will detect the bluetooth signal coming from the skimmer and tell you that the place where you think about using the card is potentially unsafe.
It turns out that a lot of scammers purchase the same skimmers and they are not very knowledgeable about how they work, so they don’t know how to fix their security vulnerabilities (understand?). Most modules share the same device name (HC-5) and access code 1234.
This is not a foolproof plan. This application will only find one type of skimmer, but this is the most popular. However, running the app before filling up the tank or using the ATM at the back of the bar can help you spot a non-techie criminal and save yourself the headaches of stolen credit card numbers.