The FBI defines skimming as “when devices illegally installed on ATMs, point-of-sale (POS) terminals, or fuel pumps capture data or record cardholders’ PINs.” When criminals use one of these devices, they can then use the collected data to steal from innocent victims’ accounts, draining them of their money. While skimming has primarily been an issue for gas station pumps and ATMs in the past, it has slowly become a much more prevalent issue in the grocery industry as well. Criminals have realized that with fewer workers aware of the skimming threat in grocery stores, combined with more people swiping their cards each day on the device, grocery stores can be a target for a bigger payday.
With all of this in mind, there has never been a better time for grocers to look at the measures that they can take to prevent any skimmers from entering their stores. While criminals can be crafty, grocers can be even craftier just by following a few simple best practices and implementing new mounting solutions. In doing this, retailers can almost entirely eliminate the threat of any skimmer from entering their store, protecting their loyal customers' bank accounts. Here are three best practices to prevent credit card skimmers in your store.
1. Increase Employee Awareness
One of the easiest ways that grocers can protect their stores is to properly educate their employees about the threat of credit card skimming. This allows the employees to be on the lookout for anyone who might start tampering with a pin-pad. Skimmers can sometimes be installed in a matter of seconds, fitting right into place over the existing pin-pad. Fortunately, many of them can be easy to spot if you have been trained in what to look for. A pin-pad with a skimmer on it may appear bulky and have the front appear loose, and it usually doesn’t take much force to be able to pull it off. Having your cashiers check for this and generally observe the pin-pad before they open the lane for the day is an easy way to make sure that if a skimmer did enter your store, it would be caught sooner rather than later.
2. Increase Security Measures
Increasing security in your store is another way that grocers can prevent skimmers from even entering the door. A few security cameras pointed at your front end is all that it takes to prevent many criminals from even attempting to install a skimmer. Many criminals are bad actors, and just knowing they are on camera is enough of a deterrent. Combine the cameras with employees who are trained to look out for this criminal activity, and criminals would have almost no chance if confronted when trying to install one, especially with a skimmer in their pocket.
3. Install Anti-Skimmer Plates and Mounts
The third and most effective step that your store can take to prevent credit card skimmers in your store is to install anti-skimming plates or mounts with the pin-pad. These are often inexpensive and effective pieces of hardware that make it nearly impossible to secretly attach any device to the pin-pad. Many pin-pad models have mounting solutions with a wide range of security features and options, such as the mounting solutions from TRUNO partner Havis. Implementing new mounts is something that does not take very long, and is by far the most crucial step your store can take to prevent skimmers.
Invest in your Customers' Security and Peace of Mind
All three of these best practices utilized together help ensure that your store won’t have any criminals installing skimmers anytime soon. While the anti-skimmer plates and mounts are the most effective method, training your employees in what skimmers are, how they work, and what to look out for combined with utilizing security cameras, help prevent anyone from attempting to install a skimmer in the first place.
