The past year has seen a number of high-profile instances of mass credit card hacking. Major companies like Target and Home Depot had tens of thousands of their customers’ credit card information stolen and sold to the highest bidder. Even though the massive security leak has shaken consumer confidence in the credit system, U.S. consumers still spend about $4.6 trillion annually with credit and debit cards. Not only that, but there are more credit cards in the United States than there are people — the average consumer owns 1.96 credit cards, to be exact.
Now, police in Atlanta are warning citizens that some local gas stations might be “skimming” their card info. Hackers place devices on gas pumps or any other merchant payment gateway that allow them to steal the data of anyone who swipes their card there. On the sketchy marketplaces of the so-called “dark web,” hackers can buy stolen credit cards en masse.
The stolen credit cards then end up being used in card not present transactions online.
Ironically, hacking may end driving people to do more online shopping. Consumers scared of having their credit card “skimmed” at a store could seek out more secure payment options online. Payment processing companies offer a number of verification options on the Web. Customers who do their shopping online are advised to find a secure merchant payment gateway before typing in their info.
No matter what kind of credit card payment system U.S. consumers use, their information can never be 100% safe from hackers. That isn’t stopping people from signing up for new credit cards, however. By 2017, Mastercard expects to issue up to 36% more cards, while Visa expects to issue 28% more by then.
In Atlanta, police are warning residents to check gas pumps for signs they may have been tampered with. Any unusual hardware or suspicious activity should be reported immediately, especially if you’ve already swiped your plastic.
Meanwhile, down in Florida, state officials were forced to conduct a special investigation after finding more than 100 skimmers installed at local gas stations.
