Community Forums

cvrvr · 01-22-2011, 05:48 PM

Don't know if anybody has been caught up in this problem.

According to the LA news, The Pilot/Flying J Travel Center in Castic, CA is caught up a credit card skimming problem. It seems that card skimmers have been found INSIDE the fuel dispensers. Usually they are mounted on the outside of the pumps. Haven't heard anything from Pilot today.

George

Irover · 01-22-2011, 05:55 PM

Bad press for Pilot, but probably an inside job!!!

Gary - K7GLD · 01-22-2011, 06:08 PM

WELL, I guess the "new FJ/Pilot" is "entitled" to make profit and stay in business as they see fit and opportunities arise...

Just one more reason to buy elsewhere...

scenic route · 01-22-2011, 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Irover

Bad press for Pilot, but probably an inside job!!!

Absolutely agree and I hope they nab the perp. How can you defend yourself against a scanner on the INSIDE of the pump? I always check the outside card slot. I always lock the RV while fueling too...can't see the entry door from the fueling station. Jeez! Somebody's always got a PLAN!

Bob

SlyFox · 01-22-2011, 07:28 PM

You know on the news this morning here in Canada, they showed that it is now even possible for someone to walk or pass by you reasonably close and they can actually scan all your credit card information from your card while it's in your wallet. Now that is really scary!

CD · 01-22-2011, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SlocanPaul

You know on the news this morning here in Canada, they showed that it is now even possible for someone to walk or pass by you reasonably close and they can actually scan all your credit card information from your card while it's in your wallet. Now that is really scary!

It's my understanding it is just the cards with chips embeded in them. As far as I know our's don't have a chip.

SlyFox · 01-22-2011, 07:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CD

It's my understanding it is just the cards with chips embeded in them. As far as I know our's don't have a chip.

Sorry, I should have stated that, you are absolutely correct it is the Chip technology on the cards and they also need to be RSS activated as well.

TW · 01-22-2011, 08:00 PM

more and more 'things' will go that route, so RFID will stay, even in our Passport. Well-we can buy a blocker sleeve! Your are in the club for $8.00,
that a reader will cost.

Wanabee FTer · 01-22-2011, 08:07 PM

This is more of a nuisance crime if you use a CC with fraud protection.
Still a hassle to find and report a problem. I only use my ATM card at the bank, and even that's a little risky.

Fred and Bonnie · 01-23-2011, 11:41 AM

“Card Skimmers” are relatively “low tech”, in the case of Flying J/Pilot, it has to be an inside job as the pump controls are locked. The more sophisticated thief’s hack into the data clearing houses and steal thousands of cards at one time.

We rely heavily on charge cards for day to day expenses, paying the balance when it is billed. I regularly check all of our financial accounts every 2-3 days. While charge cards have many more protections than cash of debit cards, I would like to know if there is a problem prior to getting a call from the card issuer.

fred

milt · 01-23-2011, 12:58 PM

I recently read that there are only two different keys for all of the gas pumps in the U.S.
So it probably would be easy for someone to open them, much like the storage compartment on our RVs.
I had the problem at I believe a Circle K station in Leesburg FL.
Used two cards as there was limit on the pump, the next bill for each had an unauthorized charge. That was the only place I had used one of the cards on the trip
that's the reason I decided that's where it occurred.

ALWAYS CHECK your statements, the charges will be small usually under ten dollars so they frequently go unnoticed.

Milt

wa8yxm · 01-23-2011, 04:33 PM

These days you don't even need a skimmer on/in the pump/card reader.

Many Credit Cards now have the "Tap and Pay" option.. this is where you basically wave your card over a spot on the reader or tap it against the reader and the RFID chip in the card chats with the RFID device in the card reader.

So you are walking down the street.. Card in your wallet, and John Q Crook walks by with his RFID reader in his laptop bag, and your card info is now on his hard drive.. Just like that.

scenic route · 01-23-2011, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wa8yxm

These days you don't even need a skimmer on/in the pump/card reader.

Many Credit Cards now have the "Tap and Pay" option.. this is where you basically wave your card over a spot on the reader or tap it against the reader and the RFID chip in the card chats with the RFID device in the card reader.

So you are walking down the street.. Card in your wallet, and John Q Crook walks by with his RFID reader in his laptop bag, and your card info is now on his hard drive.. Just like that.

Cripe...I suppose now I'll have to keep all my credit cards under my aluminum foil cap I wear to keep the aliens from stealing my thoughts! What's NEXT?

Bob

deputydog · 01-23-2011, 05:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Irover

Bad press for Pilot, but probably an inside job!!!

Probably not an inside job (at least from the station). We had a bunch of skimming in Florida several months ago. They found one skimmer inside the pump card reader at a Shell station. They alerted station owners and within a week they found around twenty if I remember correctly. All inside the machines. They noted that the keys used on the machines are common to nearly all of the pumps so anybody who worked on pumps or ever work on them or at a station would have a key.

All the stations here started putting stick-on seals on the doors of the machines so they could detect if they had been opened.

Nearly all those found were on the pumps furthest away from where the attendants were and generally on the non-visible side, so I now use only the pumps closest to the attendants within their eyesite.