If you own a gas station or truck stop, you probably know how damaging card skimming can be to your customers. This is especially true at the pumps. If your customers learn that their financial information and money were stolen while filling up at your location, it can be damaging to your reputation and business as well. If you are unaware of what card skimming is and why it is dangerous, the following can help.
What is card skimming?
This is an illegal act that involves someone placing a small machine known as a skimmer onto the card slot of a fuel pump or other machine. The skimmer can take information like credit card numbers, zip codes, and PIN numbers.
Card skimming may not seem easy, because the criminal will need access to supposedly secure machines. But, this crime is becoming more popular because of how easy it is to accomplish. Often times, the skimmer itself will match the color of the fuel pump card slot so both you and customers can’t tell it’s there.
What can a business do to help prevent this crime?
Your first defense as a business owner should be to educate yourself and your employees. If they know how to catch card skimming before it happens, you can stop the crime before it becomes an issue.
- Know what card skimming machines look like. Every employee that has access to the inside of the pumps should know what they look like normally. This will help them see if a skimming device has been added.
- Be on the lookout for people hanging around your fuel pumps longer than is normal.
- Regularly check all of your card readers at fuel pumps, ATMs, and point-of-sale systems.
- Review your reports often and watch out for “bad card read” or “dispenser offline” messages. These indicate that there could be a card skimmer.
Managing fuel at your fuel station
One way to watch out for your business is to know exactly how much fuel you have and how much it costs you. You should be aware of these factors at all times. If costs and sales do not remain where you think they should, along with the strange card reader messages, there is a chance your pumps could have been hit with a card skimmer.
High-quality fuel products and services from Kendrick Oil Company
If you would like to learn more about how managing your fuel can protect your business, contact the experts at Kendrick Oil Company. We offer a variety of high-quality fuel Products and Services available throughout Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, and Louisiana. You can reach us at (800) 299-3991 or Send Us an Email for more information.
