[Ben Franklin]

My credit card was skimmed at a gas station several years ago. The perps charged a few smaller items to my skimmed card of between $5 and $12. My credit card company sent me an email asking if I had made those charges, since it was a different pattern from my usual charging patterns. They told me the perps usually charge smaller items a first and if the charges go through, then they go after the larger, expensive items.
I changed my card reporting to alert me for every purchase over $1.00. So now I get alerted every time my card is used. This way I know immediately if my card was skimmed or used without my knowledge.