From scams targeting phones using AI to phishing emails in your mailbox, safeguarding your information has turned into a continuous task. Among the oldest methods in the playbook is the gas pump card skimmer, a covert device aimed at pilfering your payment details while you are merely attempting to refuel your vehicle. The silver lining? If you possess an iPhone, you have one of the most effective shields against this sort of deception right in your hand.
A gas pump skimmer is a compact gadget that wrongdoers discreetly place inside or atop a fuel pump’s card reader. When you slide your debit or credit card, the skimmer duplicates the information stored on the magnetic stripe. In more sophisticated configurations, criminals may even incorporate pinhole cameras or counterfeit keypads to record your PIN, obtaining everything necessary to empty your bank account. Detecting them isn’t straightforward because skimmers are engineered to resemble a genuine component of the pump.
