SACRAMENTO, Calif.—State officials are warning California residents to be on the alert for skimming devices on gas station pumps.
Since the U.S. began its migration to EMV, a wave of card skimming attacks have hit nationwide as crooks turned to easier methods to hijack card data. CUToday.info has reported on many of these attacks.
The attacks have hit grocery stores and fast food restaurants, but gas stations have become prime targets due to the increased difficulty in detection — skimming devices are often placed inside the dispenser.
State officials stated they have already removed nearly 40 card skimming devices from gas pumps in little more than a year and a half.
Officials report the first known skimming device was recovered from a gas station pump last August. The most recent discovery of a skimming device was in the Westland area in late February.
Most gas stations have not yet adopted EMV readers since they are not required to do so until late 2017. The cost is about $120,000 per station, the Oakland Press reported. New equipment is also expected to have a mechanism which can disable a dispenser if the event it has been opened by a crook to implant a skimming device.