12 Ways to Keep From Getting Hacked at the Gas Pump

It's not a pleasant experience, and if you've been the owner of a debit card for 20+ years, there's a great chance it's happened to you.

Getting your debit card hacked at the gas pump.

You go to get gas, pay conveniently at the pump with your card. Then, the next time you check your bank statement, you have $100 or more in charges you didn't authorize for purchases you never made.

Or worse yet — you go to make another purchase only to have your card declined because those scammers drained your account!

It sucks. It makes you feel taken advantage of. Because you were.

Luckily, technology over the years has advanced a great deal and there are now a LOT of things we can do to help keep this from happening. Still, I wanted to make a list for you today of some things you can do that will make getting your card information stolen at the pump either impossible, or extremely unlikely.

I realize this is a little outside of what we normally post here at Real Ways to Earn, but it's valuable information for anyone worried about theft and scams.

I want you to make money, but I also want you to keep it safe from things like this!

1. Use Cash

Yes — I realize I'm being very Captain Obvious saying just to use cash when you buy your gas. But this is the only way to completely eliminate the risk of having your card information stolen at the pump.

Keep cash on hand, and pay with it. No, it's not as convenient because you do have to go in the store, but if you've had your card hacked enough times, the inconvenience will be worth it.

2. Use a Credit Card Instead of Your Debit Card

It's a better option to use a credit card instead of a debit card at the pump. This is because when you are using your debit card and it gets hacked, the scammers are taking money that belongs to you.

When you use a credit card at the pump, the scammers are attempting to use money that belongs to the credit card company. So you are not losing money straight from your bank account.

Also, credit cards generally offer stronger fraud protections than debit cards. You may still have to file a dispute, but credit card fraud is often easier to deal with than debit card fraud because the money has not already left your checking account.

When you file a debit card dispute, the process may take longer. Some banks issue provisional credits quickly, but others may take several days or longer depending on your bank. This can be very problematic if you needed that money to pay bills or get groceries and gas.

3. Use Your Gas Station's Mobile App to Pay

Many gas stations — like Chevron and Exxon — now have mobile apps that will let you pay for your gas via the app. You don't have to get your card physically out of your car at all!

Most of them work like this:

• Install the app and create an account
• Make sure to allow the app to access your location so it can know when you're at the pump
• Go to the gas station and pull up to the pump
• Follow the instructions on the app to pay for your gas
• Pump your gas
• Leave!

Each app will work a little differently but that's the gist of it. The app will have your card number stored, so you never have to insert it at the pump at all.

4. Turn Your Debit Card Off When Not Using It

Most banks give you the option of turning your debit card off and on via their online banking or mobile apps. You should be able to do this with just a tap.

This is great to get in the habit of doing because many fraudulent transactions may be blocked if your bank supports card locking features.

It's a handy, extra measure of protection you can take just in case your number does get stolen despite your efforts. Make it so the card cannot be used when you're not using it yourself with the tap of a button via online banking or your mobile banking app.

Note that some recurring or already-authorized transactions may still go through, so this is not a perfect fix, but it can still help a lot.

5. Always Try to Use the Pump Closest to the Door

Skimmers are often found on pumps that are farther from the building because they may attract less attention.

You are a little bit less likely to get hacked if you always try to use the pumps that are most visible to store employees. Thieves often try to avoid these because they are easier for people inside the store to see.

6. Pay Inside With the Clerk

Even if you don't have cash on you, you are safer to pay inside with the clerk using your debit or credit card than you are to pay at the pump.

The clerk's payment terminal is MUCH less likely to be tampered with since it's difficult for scammers to access when the clerk is almost always behind the counter. Gas pumps are a common target for card skimmers because the clerk isn't usually out there watching them.

7. Tap to Pay When Possible

In the last few years, many financial institutions have started “tap to pay” where you just tap your card on the screen to pay for your purchases.

When getting gas at a pump, this is much safer than inserting your card into a slot, or sliding it. Most scammers who hack you at the pump do so with card skimmers that are inserted into the slot where you put your card.

If you're not using a card reader that requires you to insert or slide your card, then it's a lot harder for your card number and info to be stolen.

8. Do Not Enter Your Pin Number

Most gas pumps will give an option for you to bypass the pin if you press enter while you are paying for your gas. Always do this!

A scammer who gets your pin number can withdraw cash from your card from anywhere, not just making purchases online.

Not providing your pin keeps the thieves from getting their hands on a valuable piece of your card information.

9. Run the Card as a Credit Card Even If It Isn't One

If the screen on the pump prompts you to choose “debit” or “credit,” choose “credit” even if you have a debit card.

This is because if the pump is running your card as a credit card, you won't be forced to enter your pin. This is important to know when you are at a pump that will not allow you to bypass your pin number. Most of them will, but I've been at a few pumps that didn't give me an option to bypass putting it in.

When that happens, just cancel the transaction, start over, and choose “credit” as your option.

10. Consider an RFID Blocking Card Holder

RFID-blocking wallets and card sleeves are designed to help block certain types of contactless card scanning.

That said, RFID theft is not nearly as common as gas pump skimming, data breaches, or other types of card fraud. It is technically possible in some situations, but most people are much more likely to have their card information stolen through a skimmer or an online breach.

Still, if you want one more layer of protection, RFID-blocking sleeves and wallets are inexpensive and easy to use. They can come in the form of wallets, purses, or even little sleeves.

And they are cheap!

11. Check For Options For Contactless Pay

Mobile apps offered by gas stations (as mentioned above) offer a simple way to pay without contact at the gas pump, but even if you don't have those apps installed, some gas pumps will let you pay with:

• • Apple Pay
  • Google Pay
  • Digital Wallet via Your Bank

Paying with any of the above contact-free methods, if they are available to you, is going to vastly reduce your chances of getting hacked.

12. Check For Signs Of Card Reader Tampering

If the card reader at the pump looks or feels like it has been messed with, don't use it.

You can kind of tell by shaking it to see if it's loose, or notice if anything with the keys looks damaged or out of place from everything else.

These signs don't always mean a particular pump is currently being used to steal card information. But, just don't use it.

I hope these tips help you if you are worried about getting hacked at the pump and NEVER want it to happen again.

Good luck, and please feel free to sign up for my weekly newsletters with ideas for earning money at home. They're free!

Photo by Maarten van den Heuvel: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-gas-station-during-evening-2284164/