E-skimming: Identity Thieves Have Gone High-tech
Many of us have heard the term “skimming” before. What we traditionally knew as credit card skimming, were devices that thieves attached to gas pumps to copy credit card information. The device usually blended in well enough that consumers didn’t realize they were inserting their credit and debit cards directly into the hands of thieves.
Skimming Technology
Identity thieves have created a new type of skimming in the form of attaching skimming technology directly to shopping websites and stealing information either directly from the online retailer’s server, or a common server that is shared amongst multiple retailers. Some stores that have reported their customers are a victim of this technology are Macy’s, Ticketmaster UK, British Airways and PUMA.
As a consumer here are a few tips to keeping yourself safe when shopping online:
- Monitor your cards closely for transactions that you did not authorize.
- Shopping with a credit card is safer than using your debit card. Credit cards are also easier to report and shut off without causing the added inconvenience of losing access to your primary bank account.
- Some banks offer virtual credit cards that have unique credit card numbers for individual transactions. Thus, rendering that card number useless once the transaction is processed.
For more information, contact your Stockton bankruptcy attorney at 209-438-4990.
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