Another Reason Not to Pay for Gas at a Gas Station
You may already be wary of gas station skimmers that can steal your payment information from your card reader. Now Visa has warned of a new threat: hackers work through the gas station sales system.
According to a Visa report originally published by Engadget, hackers have infiltrated the point-of-sale system of gas stations by sending phishing emails to their employees. From there, hackers access your information from your card’s magnetic stripe when you insert the card into your pump.
If you’re thinking, “But all my cards are chip cards,” keep in mind that not all gas stations process your chip payment yet — many of them still use the usual old swipe to authorize your purchase.
While most other businesses have already switched to payments with EMV chips, filling stations have been extended by Visa and Mastercard, in part due to the costs associated with equipment upgrades. They have until next year to switch their gas stations, which means that even if your card has a chip on it, it probably won’t be read when you pay for gas.
There is little you can do at a gas station other than not pay for them. Your best bet is to go to the gas station and pay at the checkout, where you can use the chip reader if you pay with your card.
If you choose to pay with a pump, never use a debit card . If, for any reason, your billing information is compromised, after your bank investigates the fraud, it may take several weeks for the money to be returned to your account. A credit card provides the best protection against fraud and won’t hurt your budget if hackers manage to intercept your purchase.