How car owners are being scammed with bank cards at gas stations
- December 1, 2023
- 0
It seems that cases of deception of motorists at gas stations are becoming less and less common. However, criminals do not calm down and do not move with
It seems that cases of deception of motorists at gas stations are becoming less and less common. However, criminals do not calm down and do not move with the times, as they slowly ‘digitize’.
Currently, more than 81% of all payments in Russian retail are made with bank cards. And this share continues to grow little by little. The scammers have only taken advantage of this ongoing trend, sometimes gaining access to all the victim’s money, rather than ridiculous amounts comparable to the cost of filling up one car with gas.
Such ‘tricks’ are hardly possible at petrol stations of major oil companies. But at petrol stations of small regional chains or in the case of ‘one owner – one petrol station’ there is a risk of bank card fraud. It can be implemented when not only the cashier is “in action”, but also those employees who, as part of their duties, are expected to check the cleanliness and legality of all transactions.
It is especially useful to carry out illegal manipulations with a customer’s bank card at those gas stations where there is no trade in related products and all communication between the buyer and the cashier takes place through a small window from the premises to the street. Sometimes “window-like” payments at some gas stations, where there is a normal sales area, are organized at night – to exclude the occurrence of crimes against the cashier. However, in this case, the latter already has the opportunity to deceive the customer.
First, the unscrupulous gas station attendant assesses the potential victim. The ideal target for fraud is some sort of ‘middle manager’ on a medium budget (by today’s standards).
Everything happens as follows. The cash register is not equipped with one modem for non-cash payments, but with several: ‘extra’ devices belong to criminals. When a motorist tries to pay for fuel purchased via a card terminal, it appears that ‘there is something wrong with the connection’ or ‘your card does not work’. Or the customer gets another version of this kind.
Although in fact in the machine slipped by the bad guy cashier, which resembles the well-known POS devices in the store, the card data is read and the PIN code entered by the poor guy is remembered. The latter is then asked to ‘pay from another terminal’. This bank modem is already connected to the cash register as normal, so the fuel transaction proceeds without any problems.
A duplicate is made of the unlawfully obtained data from the victim’s card. For a long time, citizens did not even suspect that ‘left-wing’ people had gained access to their bank accounts. The criminals wait until the victim forgets that he ever visited them. And also so that the person has time to use his card in many other places – to maximally expand the circle of suspects for law enforcement officers, to whom the car owner is likely to turn later. After waiting the allotted time, the attackers use the duplicate card at an ATM and withdraw all available money from the victim’s accounts.
photo globallookpress.com
Currently, more than 81% of all payments in Russian retail are made with bank cards. And this share continues to grow little by little. The scammers have only taken advantage of this ongoing trend, sometimes gaining access to all the victim’s money, rather than ridiculous amounts comparable to the cost of filling up one car with gas.
Such ‘tricks’ are hardly possible at petrol stations of major oil companies. But at petrol stations of small regional chains or in the case of ‘one owner – one petrol station’ there is a risk of bank card fraud. It can be implemented when not only the cashier is “in action”, but also those employees who, as part of their duties, are expected to check the cleanliness and legality of all transactions.
It is especially useful to carry out illegal manipulations with a customer’s bank card at those gas stations where there is no trade in related products and all communication between the buyer and the cashier takes place through a small window from the premises to the street. Sometimes “window-like” payments at some gas stations, where there is a normal sales area, are organized at night – to exclude the occurrence of crimes against the cashier. However, in this case, the latter already has the opportunity to deceive the customer.
First, the unscrupulous gas station attendant assesses the potential victim. The ideal target for fraud is some sort of ‘middle manager’ on a medium budget (by today’s standards).
Everything happens as follows. The cash register is not equipped with one modem for non-cash payments, but with several: “extra” devices belong to criminals. When a motorist tries to pay for fuel purchased via a card terminal, it appears that ‘there is something wrong with the connection’ or ‘your card does not work’. Or the customer gets another version of this kind.
Although in fact in the machine slipped by the bad guy cashier, which resembles the well-known POS devices in the store, the card data is read and the PIN code entered by the poor guy is remembered. The latter is then asked to ‘pay from another terminal’. This bank modem is already connected to the cash register as normal, so the fuel transaction proceeds without any problems.
A duplicate is made of the unlawfully obtained data from the victim’s card. For a long time, citizens did not even suspect that ‘left-wing’ people had gained access to their bank accounts. The criminals wait until the victim forgets that he ever visited them. And also so that the person has time to use his card in many other places – to maximally expand the circle of suspects for law enforcement officers, to whom the car owner is likely to turn later. After waiting the allotted time, the attackers use the duplicate card at an ATM and withdraw all available money from the victim’s accounts.
Source: Avto Vzglyad
Donald Salinas is an experienced automobile journalist and writer for Div Bracket. He brings his readers the latest news and developments from the world of automobiles, offering a unique and knowledgeable perspective on the latest trends and innovations in the automotive industry.
