COLLEYVILLE, TEXAS — Everyday, there are people attempting to steal from hard-working individuals, whether through hacking, skimming, or phishing. And, as this man suggests, you should definitely take as many precautions as possible to secure your information.
According to Star-Telegram, 24-year-old Cody Garvin found the credit card skimmer at a 7-Eleven he frequents on Colleyville Boulevard.
BEATING A SCAM: ATTENTION TO DETAIL
It's a good thing Cody Garvin is a person who believes in situational awareness. The source reports that he knew something didn't look right regarding the store's ATM machine.
According to Garvin, he's watched enough videos to know he needs to be extra cautions regarding public ATMs. Cody mentions as follows.
Watching other card skimmer videos on Facebook made me start keeping a lookout when I went to any ATM. So when my bank told me they noticed suspicious activity on my account, I went right to that store.
The source states that he was attempting to record the footage while advising the store clerk of the credit card skimmer.
After giving it a pull, he noticed an additional green cover had been attached to the actual card reader, allegedly with double-sided "sticky-tack," mentions the report.
Good thing he trusted his gut, because Garvin was absolutely right about the skimmer.
According to Cody, it's possible that whomever placed the credit card skimmer at the location was having a field day with his account.
My bank has called me four times before and notified me of fraudulent charges on my card. I bet it was this ATM all along that was the cause. Always check before you swipe ATM's. People might think you're crazy, but you're crazy if you don't check. This stuff is real.
According to the source, a police investigation rendered that the device only stored data from credit cards. It wasn't a transmitter. So, whomever planted it would have to return for it eventually.
FEEDBACK
The Star-Telegram reports that Cody Garvin posted video of the encounter via Facebook. Resultingly, the source says his footage went extremely viral — being shared over 134,000 times and viewed more than 9.5 million times.
All in all, it's not a game out here. There are those whose sole purpose in life identity theft. They spent night and day developing ways to confiscate your personal information.
If they spent nearly half that time and energy making their own identity even remotely reputable, this world might be a better place. At least financially, anyway.
Nevertheless, what are your thoughts about this situation? Have you ever encountered any phishing emails, credit card skimmers, or hacking intrusions?
If so, how did you handle such a thing?
[Featured Photos via Cody Garvin / Facebook]