Cash – Debit Card – Credit Card

Truck campers often face the dilemma of choosing the best payment option
for managing their expenses when embarking on a road trip.

Here’s a comparison of using cash, debit cards, and credit cards:

Cash
• Convenient and accepted everywhere.
• Potentially saves money through discounts at gas stations for cash payments.
• No risk of electronic fraud or skimming.

Debit Cards
• Easy to use and widely accepted.
• Direct access to funds without incurring debt.
• Risk of skimming fraud at ATMs and service station pumps.

Credit Cards
• Provides purchase protection and fraud detection services.
• Can earn rewards and cash back on purchases.
• Risk of skimming fraud at ATMs and service station pumps.

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Identifying and Avoiding Fraudulent Card Readers

Look closely – this is one example of a fraudulent card reader/skimmer.

Warning to Truck Campers:  fraudulent card readers, or skimmers,
can be found at service stations and ATMs, particularly near Interstate Highways.

Why? It is easier for criminals to retrieve their card reader with your data,
make a quick getaway, and get lost in Interstate traffic.

Here are some tips for identifying and avoiding these devices:
• Loose or bulky card reader attachments
• If you notice an odd device, like unusual wires or
equipment attached to an ATM or fuel pump
• Or a Bluetooth name pops up on your phone when
You’re nearby, don’t use it. 

Many gas stations and some grocery stores place
security seals over the access panel that read “void”
if the machine has been tampered with.

Tips for Avoiding Skimming FraudS

• Use ATMs and fuel pumps in well-lit and busy areas.
• Use credit cards with fraud protection for transactions at-risk locations.
• Cover the keypad when entering your PIN.
• Monitor your account regularly for unauthorized transactions.

Highlight of recent Reports of Skimming

Fraudulent card readers have been a significant issue in various parts of the country.
Here are some notable incidents:

 April 4, 2025, the Secret Service released information on an
organized crime ring in Southern California that stole over
$1 million by breaking into dozens of gas pumps and installing
skimming devices are used to capture customers’ card data. The stolen information
was sold for profit and used to create counterfeit cards for the criminals’ personal use.

Feb 14, 2025 -Credit card skimmers were found at Trucchi’s Supermarket in West Bridgewater, Abington, Taunton, and New Bedford, MA

Feb 3, 2025 – The Secret Service visited 879 businesses in the D.C. area, inspected 6,561 devices, and found 24 skimmers.

In August 2024, the Secret Service reported removing 20 to 30 credit/debit card skimmers from service station pumps nationwide each week. Each skimmer contained account information from approximately 80 cards.

August 2024 – The Secret Service’s Cleveland office found more than<
20 skimming devices used to steal credit card information at
grocery stores, gas stations, and banks in Northeast Ohio.

Retail self-checkout lanes—In late 2023, a supermarket chain
Big Y discovered that unknown individuals had inserted
skimming devices into the card reader slots of self-checkout terminals
in at least ten of its Massachusetts locations just before
the Christmas holiday rush.

Franklin, TN—Police are searching for two men suspected of
installing card skimmers at multiple Kroger grocery stores
throughout the city, the department said in a statement Saturday.
The devices were found in the self-checkout at stores on Mallory Lane,
Murfreesboro and Hillsboro Roads.

Hendersonville, TN—Law enforcement found a skimming device on
a New Shackle Island Road gas station pump. Before they removed it,
investigators discovered that the device had stolen nine different card numbers.

THE OTHEr SIDE OF USING Cash

Carrying coins and paper money is a security risk. When stolen, you cannot replace it. The key is having a tiny amount of cash and a backup of money in a safe location.

USING a Debit card

Debit cards are easy to use, charge nominal fees, and can be quickly canceled if lost or stolen. They can also retrieve cash at an ATM and are less bulky than carrying cash on your hip.

THE NEGATIVE OF a Debit card

The most troublesome aspect of debit cards is the lack of protection policies, at least when compared to credit cards. Debit cards are linked DIRECTLY to your bank account.

• • Your bank could charge an additional fee if the ATM is outside your network.
  • Your liability for your loss when a fraudulent debit card transaction occurs depends on how quickly you report the problem to your bank.
  • Suppose you report an unauthorized transaction or the loss of your debit card before a transaction is processed. In that case, your liability is $50 if you report the problem within two days after receiving your statement. From two to 50 days after receiving your statement, your liability is $500. You are out of luck if you report a problem more than 60 days after receiving your statement. The 60-day reporting limit applies even if your card is in your possession.

• Debit card transaction-related issues involve security holds placed on the card by the card company or banks. These temporary holds are used as a security deposit, tying up actual cash from your checking account. It is like your money is being held hostage. Tom Harkin, chief strategy officer for Secure Identity Systems (an issuing card financial institution), says, “…the hold will be placed on the funds in your bank account until the appropriate charge is processed. This hold could be as long as six to eight days, and those funds will not be available for use. If this occurs a few times, no funds could be left for legitimate purchases, and no additional authorizations will be allowed.”
• Because you need a personal identification number (PIN) to complete a debit card transaction, this fraud also includes stealing your PIN.

  

• Skimming is the theft of your card’s magnetic stripe data using a portable device or reader that attaches outside, inside an ATM, or at the fuel pump. Combined with the theft of your PIN via a camera, fake keypad, or direct observation

  

   

   

• Theft of your card’s magnetic stripe data and PIN can occur when your card becomes stuck in the card reader. This will prompt you to ask to re-enter your PIN.
• Check each card reader before you use it. If you see a plastic device that looks as though it has been inserted into it, or duplicate security cameras TUG on the card reader.

  

  When in doubt, use a different ATM or service pump.

USING YOUR Credit card(S)

• Credit cards can make purchases more accessible and offer additional protection if a purchase is lost, damaged, or stolen.
• Premium credit cards typically offer higher credit limits and include additional features, such as product warranties, purchase protection, travel insurance, and emergency services.
• You may get rewards and perks when you use your credit cards.
• “Almost all reputable credit cards offer some form of fraud protection – which means you aren’t responsible if your card is stolen and someone runs up big bills,” said April Lewis-Parks, director of education for Consolidated Credit
• The Fair Credit Billing Act (FCBA) protects customers when fraudulent transactions are made to a credit card account. Under federal law, if unauthorized charges are made with your credit card, the maximum amount you can be liable for is $50
• As a preventive measure, you can also set up transaction alerts to help detect fraud by notifying you when your card is charged for an amount above a specified threshold.

THE OTHER SIDE OF A Credit card

• The disadvantage of credit cards is that they are easy to use and encourage people to spend money they do not have.

For all CARDS

• Alert your bank that you will be traveling. Include the dates you will be away and your destination. Otherwise, your bank could freeze your account if it is alerted to a transaction in a location far from your home. Banks do this to protect your account from theft, but it can be inconvenient if you travel.
• Provide a contact number so your bank can reach you if they have concerns about your debit card activity. A cell number is best.
• Find out whether your bank charges a fee to use another bank’s ATM
• Update your bank’s telephone contact list and credit card fraud department with your current information before your trip.

Additional Information

The Secret Service provides additional information on how to protect you and your family from credit card fraud at

https://www.secretservice.gov/investigations/tips/protecting-yourself

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If you have any good or bad suggestions or comments, please get in touch with us at

webmaster@northeast-truckcampers.org. Thank you.

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