Credit Card Skimming devices being installed at Walmart
 

WARNING:

Video of credit card skimming devices being installed at walmart while checking out and the cashier didn't notice.

Credit card skimmers found at Walmart checkout lines in Northeast

they just don't stop trying

Apparently, using "tap-to-pay" where available, avoids the skimming problem.

I never thought about that, but that's cool!
Also using the credit feature and not the debit feature helps that part. .

I never use the debit feature unless at the home bank or desperate. .
and these days seldom use cash so I am helping that credit card usage statistic which shows more and more credit card usage over cash

Walmart Pay in which you scan a QR code is the most protective.

Even the tap to pay can be skimmed.

Apple Pay is also safe because it doesn't generate your card number but Walmart doesn't accept Apple Pay which goes to show you how powerful Walmart is.

How can tap-to-pay be skimmed? As I understand it, the process doesn't transmit your credit card number.

In addition, the information that does get sent is encrypted with one-time key. A skimmer would not be able to use the recorded information to make a purchase and would not be able to decrypt the information to see if the card number is in there.

I would be very interested in anything that says tap-to-pay can be skimmed. Google hasn't found anything for me yet.

Yes it does avoid that problem. But unsurprisingly, many retail places around here still don't have that option. I prefer to use google pay when I'm paying by credit card, and even -that- isn't available everywhere here yet.

What i don't understand, not something I am going to research, is how they are going to get their swiped information back? as the device will be removed fairly quickly and not returned, unless there is inside collusion. .

Any one know who has been a criminal?

Other articles have mentioned downloading via bluetooth. All they would need to do is come into the store and they should be close enough to connect.

That's what i figured, but didn't type it. That would make the device easier to find, as you just need a Bluetooth signal strength meter to scan/sweep the store. . . and since they have the creeps on video, they should be able to find the particular skimmer fairly quickly. .

Its a full time employment job for electronic security. .

Interesting that this was posted here since it happened in the Walmart near where we are right now. I went back to double check our credit card but no problem so far. Do skimmers work when the chip is inserted into the machine?

Obviously Walmart employees need to be more vigil. Only one person at a time to do the transactions. 3 people all around there to skim, what the heck. Yeah I know they're just Walmart employees but still...

I'm tapping out. :duck:

It depends.

The chip itself is safe. However, to use the chip you need to insert the card into the device. It is *possible* that a skimmer could read the swipe portion of the card while the legitimate device is using the chip. I haven't heard of this happening but I would be surprised if no one had tried it yet.

Bluetooth takes time to connect. Have an RFID wallet. Have your card out for 10 seconds or so while you tap to pay. Bluetooth just is never that fast as far as I know.

Soon, I think we will all pay with phones. My phone is on a phone lanyard, which can be ordered very cheap online. I wear it either over or under my shirt depending on the situation. Never lost.

The question was about downloading the stolen information from the skimming device, not from your card. Your card cannot be read by a bluetooth device.

Unfortunately, I haven't seen any Walmart have the tap-to-pay readers.

This all boils down to what?
Not completely fool proof, but I'm a big believer.
Freeze your credit,
The sooner the better.

Freezing your credit does not affect skimming at all

They all do, and have had for quite some time.

Some clarification here.
Walmart does not accept “tap to pay” because they do not use terminals with NFC (near field communications). So they do not accept Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Google Pay, credit/debit cards with “tap to pay” feature. All of these services use and require NFC technology.

Walmart Pay does not use NFC. It uses a different technology that generates a QR code on the terminal to securely communicate the transaction. Walmart Pay can only be used at Walmart affiliated locations and nowhere else.

Walmart terminals do have EMV chip readers. So if your card has an EMV chip, you can pay by inserting the EMV chip into the terminal. This is more secure than swiping the strip. But as noted in the original post, if someone has hacked the terminal with a skimmer, the act of inserting your EMV chip can allow the skimmer to read the swipe strip data. Tap to pay does not have this skimmer risk.

This would not work at all. Everyone with a smartphone including employees has a bluetooth signal. Everyone with wireless headphones is emitting a bluetooth signal. Everyone wearing a smartwatch is emitting a bluetooth signal...

Is there anyway for us to check for a skimming device??

Not likely

Not fool proof, but grab the credit card keypad and give it a pull, make sure it's secure. Many of the skimmers can be pulled off fairly easily. Although I'm sure the thieves are getting better at it.

I'm not sure how, but it can be done. The tap-to-pay/access hack is most often used in ATMs. They gum up the card slot and a "helpful customer" tells you to use tap instead.

Not skimming or hacking at all - carelessness by the user.


Here is a report about it.