Foiling Pump Skimmers With GPS
Summary: Redlands, California police responded to a gas pump skimmer report by hiding a GPS tracking device inside the skimmer rather than staking out the pump, and at around 5 a.m. the next morning the device began beaconing its location every six seconds as it moved down a highway at more than 50 MPH. Police used handheld radios to pinpoint the tracker and caught suspects carrying several other devices that implicated them in an organized crime ring; the department has credited the technology with at least 139 arrests.
Key Takeaway: The GPS units run about six hours on a full battery, so investigators have a single working window to find the device before it goes silent - and Bluetooth-equipped skimmers that draw power from the pump and let thieves download card data without leaving their vehicle may not be susceptible to this trick at all.
Read the original at Krebs on Security ↗
- Topics
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