In which scenario might a credit card skimming scheme be conducted?

• A. All of the above
• B. A customer is pumping gasoline and notices a strange device attached to the self-payment apparatus
• C. A server walks away from a customer's table to process a credit card payment
• D. A retail employee processes a payment outside of the customer's view

Answer: (A)

Skimming happens when criminals secretly capture card data during a transaction, usually by tampering with a payment device or by handling the payment in a way the customer can’t monitor. A strange device attached to a self-serve gas pump’s payment terminal is a classic sign—it's designed to read the card’s data as it’s swiped or inserted. When a server walks away from the table to process a payment, the card data could be exposed to a rogue reader or logged off-premises, creating an opportunity to capture the information. Likewise, a retail employee processing a payment outside the customer’s view hides the data entry from the customer, allowing skimming devices or techniques to operate without scrutiny. Because each scenario can provide a way to secretly collect card data during a legitimate transaction, all of the above are plausible contexts for credit card skimming.