WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – Credit card skimmers, devices used to steal your account information, have been found at stores near Syracuse and Oswego.
Police say a trio of suspects put in skimmers and checkouts at 8 Walmarts in Camillus and Auburn.
It’s a crime that has been seen in the north country before.
General Store Owner Anthony Doldo knows it well. One of his Watertown gas pumps was skimmed in 2017. Two men were charged with taking thousands of dollars.
“Since that point, we have moved on. We have bought new dispensers. They were around $20,000 apiece, but if someone gets into the dispenser now, it actually shuts the pump down so we know that there is an issue,” said Doldo.
But how do you protect yourself?
Steve Ferency with Higher Standards, a local credit card processing company, says card companies have upgraded their technology.
“They’ve gone over to the chip cards, called EMV technology, and by going to the chip cards, it is much more secure. Can they still get the chip card and get information? They can, but it is much more difficult,” he said.
Consumer protection experts advise customers to check the credit card machine for an overlay device, use mobile wallets like Apple Pay through their cell phones, and review their statements often.
Federal law protects consumers from liability for more than $50,000 that result from lost or stolen card information.
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