Skimming Scams
Justin Pritchard at About.com alerts consumers to dangers of skimming scams and how to avoid them. He says scammers can quickly read a card’s information and use it to access your account fraudulently. He notes skimmers may be installed on ATM machines, and sometimes not be noticed. A small device is placed over the normal card reading slot and can read a card’s magnetic stripe. Skimmers can also be handheld devices that a dishonest merchant can keep in his pocket. While charging a card while out at dinner, for example, a scammer can run a card through a skimmer as well.
