BEWARE: New Credit Card Scam In Utah Uses Your Favorite Local Stores

Scammers are getting trickier and using some very hard to spot tactics all over the country and most recently in Utah.  

Most of us go about our days swiping, tapping or inserting our credit cards at stores without a second through. You have a pin number and might feel relatively safe. However, that is exactly what scammers and thieves want you to feel.  

A couple in Kearns, UT were checking out at a Rancho Markets location on May 3 when they noticed the keypad looked a bit off. With a bit of a tug the keypad came off and the couple filed a police report with pictures of a suspected skimmer device, Fox 13 said.  

If you don’t know what a skimmer is, it's essentially a device that is placed near gas stations, ATMs and store keypads in the hope of spending your hard-earned money. The device can sometimes even have a camera attached so when an unsuspecting person puts in their pin, it's recorded.  

Forbes said that by simply checking the gas pump area and ATMs with a physical look can help you spot a skimmer device. If anything looks off or the keypad seems different then there is a decent chance a skimmer is there.  

Though point-of-sales (POS) systems are harder to attach a skimmer device to, it happens. 

When you have the option to tap-to-pay, do it. CNET said that the convenient method of tap-to-pay also provides some extra security for your card.  

“In addition, each contactless card payment creates a transaction-specific, one-time code that cannot be duplicated ahead of time. These codes can’t be reproduced and can only be read by credit card processing networks.” —CNET 

If you have recently been to a store and had an odd time at the checkout, keep a watch on your bank account to make sure you haven’t been a victim of a skimmer device. If you do notice anything odd, report it to your bank immediately as well as the retailer and the police.