ND1220116

Title: Skimming Threats Up During Holidays

Description: With more purchases made with plastic this time of year, criminals are on the prowl for credit and debit card data.

Page Content:

MIAMI ? In South Florida and around the country, credit and debit card skimming incidences rise during the holidays, the Sun Sentinel reports. ?People are just making more purchases around this time of year, and with the increase in credit card activity, there are often more chances for skimming,? said James Porter, an agent with the U.S. Secret Service.

Each year, criminals rake in around $8 billion from stolen credit and debit cards, according to the Secret Service. The number of skimming incidences has jumped 10 percent each year since 2008.

?South Florida is one of the top areas for this kind of fraud, for obvious reasons,? said Porter. ?We're a tourism hot spot. Where there's a lot of economic activity, there's fraudulent activity.?

Anywhere you swipe a credit or debit card to pay can be vulnerable to skimming, said Porter. ?If you want to be sure not to be a victim, you can always pay inside at a gas station, or go inside a bank to get cash,? he said. ?There is a thin line between convenience and security. People need to weigh that concern on their own.?

After Thanksgiving, hundreds in Georgia had their account data stolen through skimming. In the fall, NACS payments consultant and PCATS Executive Director Gray Taylor talked about how retailers can fight fraud, including skimming, in a bankinfosecurity.com podcast interview.

NACS Anti-Skimming Solution

The WeCare decal is a tamper-evident label that can help retailers identify potential security breaches if skimming devices are inserted at fuel dispensers or other unattended PIN-entry devices. The labels can also help retailers address some of the PCI compliance mandates that are now required.

The security labels are to be used on fuel dispensers near the credit/debit card transaction area. If the label is lifted to insert a skimming device, a ?void? message appears on the label, providing a visual alert to store employees so that additional action can be taken. Because the labels clearly indicate that they are to prevent tampering, the labels help assure customers that their data is secure, and discourage criminals targeting the store.

Protect your business and your customers ? order the WeCare decals for your stores today.

For more information, read ?Skimming? in the October NACS Magazine.

Content Subject: Risk Management & Security

Formatted Article Date: December 20, 2011

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