Specialist cyber-crime police officers are warning drivers to be on the lookout for suspicious pay-at-pump card terminals after receiving reports of a “sophisticated fraud” targeting the devices.
North Wales Police’s cyber crime division says while reports of the crime are “limited” at present, fraudsters are nonetheless ”placing a hidden device inside card terminals that can capture the details of customers’ bank cards”, with the device then sending card and PIN information to a nearby perpetrator who receives the data with a mobile phone.
That information is then used to create cloned cards and make unauthorised withdrawals or can be sold on to other criminals to do the same, the force says.
While officers’ advice is aimed at drivers, forecourt operators with pay-at-pump facilities should also be on the lookout for terminals that have been tampered with.
Telltale signs include loose, damaged or unusual-looking card readers; parts that appear tampered with or don’t fit correctly; or anything protruding from the terminal.
