Beware of ‘Skimmers’ During the Holidays
This holiday season, you might want to check your credit card statements to make sure that you actually purchased all the items you’re paying for. That’s because ’skimming’ has become very popular among credit card thieves, and it’s costing a lot of people a lot of money.
Skimming is the preferred method of stealing card holders’ information because it’s fast to pull off and hard to detect. The skimmers, cheap card swiping devices that can easily fit into the palm of one’s hand, record all of the card holder’s information with one quick swipe. All the unwitting customer has to do is hand over their card to a cashier or waiter, who then swipes the card through the skimmer and the cash register and returns it to the customer, who is none the wiser. Thieves can even reprogram a new card with stolen card holders’ information. And then the spending starts.
Skimming is not a new scam, but the number of skimming incidents soars around the holidays. To protect yourself, monitor your credit card statements carefully. If you see unauthorized charges, cancel that card immediately and get a replacement. Use only cards with low credit limits when shopping for the holidays, and keep only the number of credit cards you really need.
