Motorists Warned: Watch Out For Gas Station Credit Card Data Thieves

Pleasanton, CA (AHN) - Motorists should watch for credit card data thieves that frequent gas stations in California, Washington, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Delaware, according to James Van Dyke, president and founder of Javelin Strategy and Research.

Van Dyke said that crime syndicates use stolen credit card data to buy gasoline at the card owner's expense. "Card fraud at gas pumps is a significant problem, and that's because of the unintended nature of the checkout devices... Essentially, every gas pump is an electronic cash register," Van Dyke told USA Today.

The skimming equipment identity thieves use could be installed in or out of gas stations. It involves gluing a plastic sleeve with covered wires that capture information over the station's card reader or connect the equipment directly to the outside card reader. The device is often shaped and painted to match the machine and is small enough to make detection hard.

According a 2005 Federal Trade Commission (FTC) report, identity theft is the fastest growing non-violent crime in the U.S. In 2005, the FTC received over 255,000 identity theft complaints.