Did you know that your cell phone or mobile device can help protect you from card skimmers at gas stations or ATMs? Yes, this is possible because most credit and debit card skimmers used by criminals use Bluetooth wireless technology to transmit or send stolen card information to a mobile device or computer nearby.
A Credit or Debit card skimmer is a small device that is used by criminals to capture or steal your credit or debit card information.
How to Detect Card Skimmers Using Your Cell Phone or Mobile Device
- Turn on Bluetooth on your cell phone or mobile device.
- Search for a device, or on some mobile devices, once Bluetooth is turned on it will automatically search for nearby devices. If your Bluetooth finds nearby available Bluetooth capable devices it will list them.
- In the list of nearby Bluetooth devices, if you see a device name that contains a long string of numbers it is more than likely a card skimmer device.
If you are at a gas station you can report your findings to a manager or supervisor. And, if you are at an ATM, do not use it, use another one instead and repeat the steps above. And, if you can, report your findings to the bank that owns the ATM.
Bluetooth is a wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances.