Fraudsters have come up with a new way to rob people at gas stations: it can be detected by minor damage to the payment machine

The Aurora (Colorado) Police Department is warning the public about a new scam involving contactless payment processes at gas stations. What kind of scam is this and how to detect it, the publication said 9news.

Photo: IStock

Some gas stations are moving to a contactless payment system to reduce scams and identity theft, explained Aurora Police Sergeant Dan Courtenay.

However, scammers drill holes in the screens of contactless payment systems and damage the sensor.

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The holes force shoppers to swipe their card to pay. Thieves then install devices (skimmers) on these damaged devices and steal card information.

Courtenay says most customers don't even notice there's a hole in the screen.

“If the screen of the contactless payment system is damaged, the pump automatically returns to the card payment system,” said Courtenay. “You don’t even suspect that there is some kind of scam going on there.” It takes 12 seconds to open the fuel pump, install the skimming device, and you're done.”

Aurora police say if you notice a hole drilled in a contactless payment screen, report it to gas station employees. Pumps should be turned off and checked for skimmer.

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Aurora law enforcement officials said their economic crime unit could inspect the pumps if anyone believes they have been tampered with.

There have been no calls or reports of new scams coming from Boulder, Jefferson, Aurora or Arapahoe counties. Aurora police said the only place they know this happened is in California, but it's only a matter of time before the scam spreads to other areas.

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