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Got my card skimmed at a gas station in Amarillo and the $2 trick I learned after
Stopped for gas off I-40 in Amarillo back in March and two days later my bank called about $340 in charges at a store I've never been to. The guy at the bank said the pump had a skimmer on it and there's basically no way to tell just by looking. What got me was the wiggle test, you grab the card reader slot and if it moves even a little, walk away and use another pump. Now I only use the pump closest to the store window and I pay inside when I can, since the clerk can see the pumps from the register. Also set up text alerts for any charge over $50, which caught the next weird one within a minute. Anyone else had luck with those tap to pay apps at the pump, or do you still avoid them?
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danielkim26d ago
Learned this the hard way too, got hit at a pump in Dallas last year for almost $200 before my bank flagged it. The wiggle test is real and I do it every single time now, takes two seconds and saves you a headache. Paying inside is smart but sometimes the line is long and I just want to get back on the road, so I started using the tap to pay on my phone at the pump. Honestly it feels safer since my actual card number never touches the machine, and the app gives you a code that changes every time. Been doing that for about six months now with zero problems, though I still check the reader first out of habit.
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