Secret services warn of an increase in the number of fuel pump skimmers in this holiday season

DAVENPORT, Iowa (KWQC) – Americans are traveling the roads in record numbers this Thanksgiving day. According to AAA, nearly 50 million people travel by car, largely because of the low price of gasoline, which aggravates the incidents related to a crime.

Scammers use more skimmers at the fuel pump, stealing personal information from unsuspecting customers.

"Scary," said a victim to NBC News.

The secret services have found nearly 200 skimmers throughout the country during this holiday season. The secret services said that these skimmers could have been used to generate a fraud of about $ 6 million.

"They are easy to create," said Matthew O'Neill, special agent of the secret service of the secret service. "They are easy to deploy and allow you to quickly obtain a large amount of stolen credit card data."

Mr. O. Neil said the crime was lucrative and had cost consumers over $ 100 million in recent years.

"It would be impossible for a consumer to know if there is a skimmer in a fuel pump," O'Neil said.

There are ways to protect yourself at the pump:

• Pay in cash or indoors with a credit card
• Choose a pump closest to the store
• Watch your accounts for suspicious charges

Some of the more sophisticated skimmers use Bluetooth, which can help you determine if you are using a pump. To check, turn on your Bluetooth. If you see a long string of letters or numbers, it's a sign that there might be a skimmer.

The secret services say that thieves are sometimes seated nearby and capture your information in real time, making it easier to use or sell faster.