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Crooks capture credit card info in 3 seconds

Posted at 6:46 PM, Mar 17, 2016
and last updated 2016-03-17 18:49:19-04

Florida Law Enforcement released new video showing two men secretly installing a credit card skimmer in less than three seconds.

In the surveillance video, one man distracts the gas station clerk, while the other man reaches into his bag, pulls out a cover, and quickly places it over the payment card terminal.

The cover in the video is really a skimmer that looks identical to the top portion of a point of sale machine.

Cyber security expert, Greg Scasny says this tactic makes it easy for crooks to capture your credit card information fast.

"They'll put the device on and then they'll wait for people to go through and skim and swipe their card," Scasny said. "And they'll come back at a later time and secretly pull it off and then download that data."

Scasny tells FOX 4 many of these skimmers have cameras. He says the device with camera capabilities snaps a picture when you swipe your card and records your pin number. With your 4 to 6 digit pin thieves can make online purchases or get a hold of other personal information.

FOX 4 showed the surveillance footage to shoppers like Anne Kovach, who says the next time she stops at the pump, she'll be choosing paper over plastic.

 "Seeing that video I definitely would try to use cash more," Kovach said. "It's just scary, we need some kind of protection."

While experts say the skimmers are typically installed outside on gas pumps, its important to keep an eye on bank statements for any usual activity.