PSA this'n could be important.

[walkin jack]

I don't know if what happened to me today was just an isolated incident but what I understand is that there are a lot of scammers out there targeting gas stations. I tried to use my credit card at out new Exxon and a message popped up telling me to go inside and see the clerk. It seems that somehow someone has found a way to scam your card IF YOU USE IT AT THE PUMP. What I'm told is you can use your card but you must go inside and pay the clerk.

Called the credit card company and they reported that there was no hold on our card??? So I'm thinking the station has blocked the card reader at the pump. They also report that this is a wide spread problem and that it is due to the pandemic.

Y'all be careful out there. It is getting scarier and scarier.

 

[hittman77]

Or it could just be that the stations card reader was broken.

Usually if your cards been copied at a pump you don't know it until days later when there are unauthorized charges on your card.

 

[Rustyt1953]

The place where we gas up requires the employees to routinely check for card skimmers.

Regardless, we always go inside to pay because the Milk Duds are right next to the cash register.

 

[Rudi]

I always pay cash, some stations are even charging more to use a card.

 

[bigwheelzip]

If the card doesn't scan, I go to another station.

 

[Deceasedeye]

Please allow me to add another scam to be careful of. I was scammed 1 week ago today. After much time on the phone (not much with humans) hopefully everything has been resolved. Just received my new Visa card via Fedex today. In NC we pay our property tax and auto registration renewal fees to the NCDOT. As I was doing this transaction on line I was directed to a very official looking site that had all my information. It is long and complicated so I will sum it up by saying , be sure you are on your official state site when doing business with your DOT. These scammers are genius at their craft!

 

[Shooting Padre]

I have heard in the past that thieves now can extract information from gas pumps with the right equipment. Nothing is save anymore. New rule, if it's electronic its already hacked!

 

[Coot47]

I can only speak for myself here. I use my bank debit/credit at the pump. If I have minimum funds in my account, the pump won't accept my card, as the bank will do a pre-authorization for a potential fill up. I'm instructed to see the attendant to manually authorize the $10 worth of gas to tie me over until the Social Security check gets here. No scam, just not enough $$ to satisfy the bank.

 

[misswired]

The last time the LA friends were here Mrs. blind man bought gas at a local station here for the return trip. Few days later 8 new iPhones appeared on her credit card statement. Made me feel bad telling them to gas-up there.

 

[smoothshooter]

Another reason to use cash.
i use it everywhere I can. It's not hard to do.

 

[Kiwi cop]

I can only speak for myself here. I use my bank debit/credit at the pump. If I have minimum funds in my account, the pump won't accept my card, as the bank will do a pre-authorization for a potential fill up. I'm instructed to see the attendant to manually authorize the $10 worth of gas to tie me over until the Social Security check gets here. No scam, just not enough $$ to satisfy the bank.

Here in Kiwiland the credit card companies place a NZ$150 hold on your card. It can take three to five buisiness days, so if you fill up on a Saturday it can be the Monday of the following week, for the hold to clear and the actual charge to come through.

In the U.S. I found that it required a U.S. zip code on the billing information to authorise the card at the pump, so I had to go inside, estimate how much gas I needed (I always overestimated the amount) and present my card to the cashier. Then only the actual amount was charged to my card.

Maybe not as convienient as pay at the pump but much more card balance friendly to this Kiwi boy.

 

[tlawler]

If the card doesn't scan, I go to another station.

Lol...I do that too. I just don't have time to go stand in line behind guys buying lotto scratch offs and PBR

 

[lkabug]

Regardless, we always go inside to pay because the Milk Duds are right next to the cash register.[/QUOTE]

It's the Raisnettes in my gas station.

 

[S42N8]

Lol...I do that too. I just don't have time to go stand in line behind guys buying lotto scratch offs and PBR

The PBR buy don't take long, less'n you have ta go back 'n' git 'nother one cause you were standin' in line too long and drank it before ya got to the cash register. Somebody was buyin Raisnettes. Or Milk Duds.

 

[Deceasedeye]

I always pay cash, some stations are even charging more to use a card.

The (master plan) is for a cashless society. I'm suspicious of an operation that charges more if you use a card.

 

[vonn]

The crooks are always working to separate you from your money. The use of credit cards costs us all money on everything even if you pay on time . The costs and profits are passed down to all of us , you still pay the credit costs when using cash unless you get a cash discount. I get a number of calls every week trying to get my business because they make a ton of money off of anyplace that accepts cards. Rant over.

 

[BC38]

Sounds like your station has had so many problems with thieves putting skimmers on the pumps that they have just disabled the pump card readers altogether.

That takes a lot less effort than checking the pumps a dozen times a day. Less effort for them that is. For you, not so much...

 

[rubiranch]

I thought you were talking about a blood test called a prostate specific antigen that helps detect prostate cancer.

That would be important.

 

[wood714]

I always pay cash, some stations are even charging more to use a card.

Cash is cool if your getting a few bucks worth of gas.

Not cool when you fill up and have to go back in for change.

 

[mmb617]

No matter how careful we are there are times when our credit cards get compromised. It's happened to me twice over the last couple years, where I'd see charges on my card that I hadn't made. I never lost any money, it was just inconvenient getting it straightened out and new cards sent.

I now have it set up so that I get an alert anytime my card is used at a gas station or online, or if the total charge is over $250 at any vendor. I would imagine all the CC companies allow this option. At least if there is a charge I didn't authorize I know right away and can contact the card company immediately.

If you use a card at all it's inevitable that it will occasionally be compromised.

No way I'd want to go back to paying inside instead of at the pump. I always get behind the guy buying $50 worth of assorted lottery tickets and having a hard time deciding exactly which ones he wants.