Identity thieves use skimming to steal payment and personal information from credit cardholders in a secretive manner. Criminals commonly use skimmers, a device that reads data from a card’s magnetic stripe or chip. Each year, skimming technology improves, and some machines can even function as point-of-sale machines.
Skimming can happen when a cardholder uses an electronic payment card in a physical location. Some scammers may photocopy or photograph information that can assist in fraudulent acts. A touchpad may be included in some skimmers, allowing the thief to enter a security code. Skimmers as thin as a credit card can be placed into ATMs and gas stations.