The money in your bank account
goes missing without explanation.
It could be because of this,
a little device used by crooks
becoming a big problem in the triad.
These skimmers can be placed
inside of a gas pump in seconds.
You can't even see that they are in there.
We have 7 easy tricks. Protect you,
including how to use your phone to spot
a hidden skimmer. Let's dig into it.
Right now, police say it's the
time to check those online bank
balances line by line through those
accounts for any strange charges.
That's because of a string of skimmers
that have popped up across the triad.
Hey there, I'm Ben Briscoe, new.
Tonight we are learning more about
exactly where someone put those skimmers.
This started in mid November when
police say those skimmers were placed
in several high point Walmarts.
They were also later found
in two Greensboro Walmarts,
the stores on battleground.
And Wendover the skimmers and high
point we're at man registered,
not just the self checkout.
We reached out but don't know if it's
the same yet for Greensboro locations.
So far.
Investigators say those getting
information and money stolen were
those who swiped an EBT cart.
Police say there were at least
200 reports of stolen benefits
because EBT cards do not have
a chip and have to be swiped.
The EBT cards are magnetic stripe.
They are one of the easiest ways
in which to capture that data.
And sell it and do whatever
they're going to do with it.
The scammers are not able to get
information from anyone paying
with a chip card or tap to pay.
No arrests have been made at this time.
They successfully pulled about
$1000 out of my account, violated,
and very sorry for all of us.
Robert and Susan both lost money
from other skimming schemes.
They are part of a growing trend.
According to lendingtree.com,
31% of people who purchase gas just
within the last 30 days believe they've
been a victim of skimming at the pump,
up to 15%, up from 15% in 2018.
And another 30% of people say they
know someone who has been a victim.
You know 30 seconds is barely
enough time to get your gas pumping.
But the State Department of
Agriculture says just 30 seconds
is more than enough for thieves to
put a skimming device on the pump.
And there's video to prove it.
It is aggravating how
simple this crime scenes.
Police say these guys are putting
a skimmer on this gas pump to
steal your credit card number.
Check out the double door van
shielding the guy at the pump while
the dude in the hoodie keeps lookout.
This was done at 5:00 in the
afternoon in broad daylight,
but the store was ready.
The pumps of Bobby and Steves are
equipped with software that sends an
alert if someone is trying to tamper
with the equipment inside these pumps.
As soon as they got it open and
disconnected our credit card
processor to connect theirs,
it sent us an audible alert
inside and shut down the pump
so nothing else could happen.
Here's the downside, not every gas
station has this alert system. So
command if you have somewhere
where you go and get gas regularly,
go inside and ask them what
are their security measures.
You also want to be careful
about which pump you pick.
Always go for the one right
in front of the store window.
Police say thieves tend to
pick the pumps on the outside,
where they're less likely to get caught.
Another easy way to protect yourself.
Before you go to pay anywhere,
reach up, grab that card reader,
and shake it back and forth
to see if there's a skimmer
that's been placed on top.
I don't want to
use like a tire iron, but
you can go up and just pull on it.
You're not going to damage or destroy
an ATM by pulling on it and and checking
to make sure there's nothing wrong with
it, police officer Jason Fetner says.
Most skimmers are pretty loose because
it would take too long for the bad guys
to really get them stuck on there.
Crooks want to be in and
out in a matter of seconds.
If he spends 25 minutes
at the ATM installing it,
the police are going to get called.
As technology gets better, crooks do, too.
The newest form of skimmers actually
go inside the gas pumps instead
of on top of that card reader.
That makes them so much harder to find.
But there's a trick.
Here's a habit to stick to.
Every time you get gas,
look for the tape on the scene
near the keyhole of the pump.
If it's broken,
that means someone might have
opened up the pump to tamper with it.
Let the clerk inside know,
and pick a different station.
But if it's not broken,
don't get a false sense of security.
He spotted websites for anyone,
including thieves can buy 500 of
the stickers for just 69 bucks so
someone could break the store seal
putting a skimmer in the pump,
then slap on a new sticker bought online.
That's why when you check the safety tape,
make sure the logo on the tape matches
up with the chain of gas station.
That way it's the stores original
and not a generic online replacement.
OK, in addition to looking for the tape,
you also want to look and see if there's
a Bluetooth signal that's coming
out from the card reader or pump.
Vincent Corella shows you why,
and a fast way to check.
Check this out.
Get close to the pump,
bring out your phone settings,
then click on Bluetooth.
Bluetooth comes up and it scans now.
Right now I'm not getting a
signal coming from the pump,
but if I was there'd be a problem.
You can protect your bank account at
the pump from skimmers by clicking
a few buttons on your cell phone.
Just go to your phone,
go to settings, hit Bluetooth.
If you see a long string of numbers
trying to connect or letters,
that is probably not good.
John Waldman is a professional hacker,
however, he's on our side.
He helps make banks more secure.
He says skimmers have come a long way.
It's really
cheap and easy for a bad guy to
do and utilizing Bluetooth now.
Takes away the physical component of
having to go and check on a skimmer so
they can just be within 30 feet of a
skimmer and steal the data that way.
That means criminals won't get
caught as easily because they
don't have to go back inside the
pump to get your information.
But your phone can also pick
up that Bluetooth signal
it will broadcast and wait for
somebody to connect to it.
If you just look on your phone,
open up Bluetooth and you see
a suspicious looking Bluetooth
connection that will give you.
An idea that something maybe not right here,
that's when it's time to go
inside and alert the station.
Finally, think about how you pay for stuff.
Both credit and debit cards
have protections for frauds,
but if you use your debit card,
they have access to your entire
bank account and can wipe it out.
It can take a while to get that money back.
If you use a credit card,
then they don't have all your
money while you're trying
to get the fraud paid for.
Also remember,
cash is always the safest option.