Filling up rental car before returning to MCO

[NotUrsula]

There are several kinds. One thing that is a dead giveaway is an extra protruding piece of plastic above the scan-block that sticks out of the pump, that seems to be part of the block mechanism -- it is, because that's the handle used to pull off the extra skimmer face in a hurry. A normal scanner will never have an extra piece sticking out above it like that. Also, real scan blocks normally have a metal or very heavy plastic cover, if you tap it with your finger it shouldn't sound cheap and hollow.
If the numeric keypad looks MUCH shinier and newer than the rest of the pump, then find another pump.

Sometimes they are inside the pump and much harder to find. For that, look hard at the state inspection seal sticker on the pump; it should be placed across the work access panel opening near the key slot, and the sticker should be perfectly shiny and lacking in any creases or visible glue residue. Essentially, if the gas pump has any kind of part near the card interface or keypad that you have never seen before or that looks tacked-on, don't trust it.

Best advice of all is to pay inside at the counter, and NEVER, NEVER (can I repeat, NEVER) use a debit card to buy gasoline from a pump. If a debit gets skimmed they can wipe out your entire bank account. Use a CC instead.

Just to show you how big these operations can be: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news...-card-gas-theft-ring-20111121,0,5079667.story

 

[gmeh1]

There are several kinds. One thing that is a dead giveaway is an extra protruding piece of plastic above the scan-block that sticks out of the pump, that seems to be part of the block mechanism -- it is, because that's the handle used to pull off the extra skimmer face in a hurry. A normal scanner will never have an extra piece sticking out above it like that. Also, real scan blocks normally have a metal or very heavy plastic cover, if you tap it with your finger it shouldn't sound cheap and hollow.
If the numeric keypad looks MUCH shinier and newer than the rest of the pump, then find another pump.

Sometimes they are inside the pump and much harder to find. For that, look hard at the state inspection seal sticker on the pump; it should be placed across the work access panel opening near the key slot, and the sticker should be perfectly shiny and lacking in any creases or visible glue residue. Essentially, if the gas pump has any kind of part near the card interface or keypad that you have never seen before or that looks tacked-on, don't trust it.

Best advice of all is to pay inside at the counter, and NEVER, NEVER (can I repeat, NEVER) use a debit card to buy gasoline from a pump. If a debit gets skimmed they can wipe out your entire bank account. Use a CC instead.

Just to show you how big these operations can be: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news...-card-gas-theft-ring-20111121,0,5079667.story

I use my debit card all the time for gas purchases, but, I select credit card rather than debit card, the skimmers are looking for the pin number along with the debit card number.

 

[NotUrsula]

I use my debit card all the time for gas purchases, but, I select credit card rather than debit card, the skimmers are looking for the pin number along with the debit card number.

True. What I meant was using a debit card AS a debit card, with the pin code.

Thieves have been known to pick up pin codes in two ways, either by cloning the keypad signal or by mounting a minicam overhead in order to capture it visually. (There have been police reports of thieves using cameras in this way on bank ATM machines, even including some located inside bank lobbies -- which is some gutsy thievery.)