Pain at the Pump: Identity Theft & Gas Stations

The biggest pinch consumers may be feeling at the gas pump might not be from high gas prices. Instead it might come from an unlikely source: identity theft. That’s right. When consumers swipe their cards, they may be purchasing more than just gas. Recent incidents in California, Nevada, Washington, Pennsylvania and Delaware have authorities wondering how long this new face of identity theft will last. The payoff for thieves is huge, while the effort is minimal. Here’s everything you need to know to protect yourself from being victimized at the pump.

How They Do It

Gas pump identity thieves install skimmers (small electronic devices that gather and store all credit or ATM card data) either to the outside or, in some cases, the inside of gas pumps. These skimmers look so much like the originals used by gas stations that they’re hard for the naked eye to detect. In order to gain access to pin numbers, thieves either install tiny (pin hole) cameras to capture pin numbers as customers type them in or they affix fake keypads on top of the real ones that will read the key strokes and capture the pin code.

Thieves then leave these skimmers attached to pumps for one month or more before removing them—and collecting data for thousands of credit cards. Then, the thieves either sell the credit card information on the internet or they make fraudulent duplicate cards with victim’s account numbers and expiration dates. In one documented case, thieves left the same skimmer attached to a single gas pump in Washington for eleven months. Then they came back and retrieved the device and drained hundreds of bank accounts in a single weekend. 

Because gas pump checkouts don’t involve a cashier, identity thieves find them to be an easy point of access to steal countless credit and ATM card numbers. In May, an investigation was opened into a case in San Jose California in which thieves stole more than $200,000 from 180 victims. But authorities estimate that between $1 million and $3.5 million has been stolen from victims of gas pump identity theft in five states over recent months.

What You Can Do to Protect Yourself

1. Don’t use ATM cards at the gas pump. Obviously, the safest form of payment is always cash even though it’s not always realistic. But before you reach for your ATM card for the sake of convenience, there are a few things you might want to consider. First, checking account fraud is one of the most difficult forms of identity theft to deal with because thieves continue to have access to the funds in your bank account until the account is frozen or closed. If an account is frozen during an investigation that means you no longer have access to your own money. Secondly, ATM cards are not federally insured the way credit cards are. So, in the event of identity theft you will most likely get your money back but it will take time. Depending on the amount stolen, that may or may not present a hardship for you. Since credit card fraud is a lot easier to clean up than ATM card fraud, it is recommended that you always use a credit card and never use an ATM card for purchases in potentially vulnerable locations like gas pumps.

2. Whenever possible, always use the pump closest to the cashier. Since installing skimmers on gas pumps would take some time, even the most oblivious gas station attendant would likely notice that kind of commotion if it was happening at the pump closest to him or her. So, that makes the pump closest to the attendant the least likely to be tampered with. If the pump closest to the attendant isn’t available, and you’re in a hurry, do whatever you can to avoid the pumps furthest from the attendant as those are the most likely to be tampered with.

3. Be on the lookout for anything suspicious about the payment process. Try to use the same gas stations during your weekly routine whenever possible. That way you can study their machines and become familiar with the card slot, keypad and other features. In the event that a gas pump is tampered with, you’ll be more likely to notice. If something looks or seems even slightly off, alert the gas station attendant immediately and tell them you think the pump may have been compromised by fraudulent skimmers.

4. When possible, look for sticker sealed gas pumps and use them.  Although sticker sealed gas pumps aren’t completely tamper proof, they offer more protection than an unsealed gas pump. Since most gas pump identity thieves actually open the gas pumps and install fraudulent skimmers, a broken seal is a dead giveaway that a machine has been tampered with. Because of this many identity thieves avoid sticker sealed gas pumps and many law enforcement agencies are pushing for gas stations to use sticker sealed pumps to help reduce the success rate of identity theft at gas pumps.

5. Check your credit card and/or ATM card statements regularly. Checking your monthly statements is one of the quickest ways to spot identity theft and credit or check card fraud. By keeping a ledger of all of your purchases in a given month, and comparing your statement to that ledger, you are insuring that purchases you didn’t make won’t go unnoticed.

While becoming a victim of gas pump identity theft isn’t completely unavoidable, being informed—and following the five steps listed above—will greatly reduce your risk. Make sure you aren’t paying for more than just gas next time you pull up to the gas pump.