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NY Officials Checking Gas Pumps For Credit Card Skimmers

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- For the first time, New York Weights and Measures officials are conducting a statewide sweep for credit card skimmers at gas pumps.

So far, they have discovered skimmers in Rochester and Niagara Falls, WCBS 880's Sean Adams reported.

Credit card fraud costs consumers billions of dollars every year. Credit score company FICO estimates 30 percent of the fraud occurs at the point of sale. Someone steals the data from a card's magentic strip.

Consumers can help protect themselves by carefully checking gas pumps and ATMs before swiping their cards. Jiggle the card scanner. Check the keypad. Is it raised or loose? Look for tiny cameras. Cover your hand when you enter your PIN.

New chip-embedded cards are meant to put an end to fraud, but it's going to be a few more years before all gas pumps have the new technology.

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