Visa Inc (NYSE:V) has today sent out a warning regarding the gas pump cyber attacks. The company says that hacking activities in this area have been on the rise, and it calls for more caution among people.
State of affairs
The company has dismissed rumors in circulation, stating that these have been “skimming” schemes. According to it, these are attacks on internal networks, and they can lead to significant losses. Visa describes skimming as the sort of incidence where crooks insert devices in ATMs secretly to achieve their goals. The goal has usually been to swipe important data without the knowledge of the card user.
The festive season is already here, and quite a significant number of Americans have made travel plans. Visa warns them, advising that they need to be on high alert at all times. This is because hackers know they will be moving out for those friends and family and getaways. Hackers will be seeking to take advantage of these movements to undertake their criminal activities.
This leading business has disclosed several hot spots according to o its investigations. In the list are some particular gas pumps, free Wi-Fi, and public cellphone charging stations. Unfortunately, it has gotten to the point of hackers moving strongly to the segment of victims in transit.
A close outlook
Findings of recent research are already out. It is now clearer that the travel industry is a major target for hackers. It has been rated as the second-most attacked segment having moved from the tenth slot some time back.
Visa has suggested several precautions that people can resort to minimize the associated risks. It has also pointed to the possibility of one spotting danger instantly. The company advises everyone to be super cautious to avoid these hackers getting on their way. The festive season according to the company, is a time to have fun and not worrying about losses.
Visa admits that it is pretty difficult for consumers to identify compromised gas pumps.
The executive director at the Consumer Federation of America Jack Gillis has some good advice to drivers. He says that they may choose to make payments in cash.
