GREENSBORO, N.C. — Skimmers are top of mind for those in the Triad after two recent incidents.
In the last month,a Greensboro man actually pulled a skimmer from an ATM on Randleman Road.
And in Graham, several people reported their accounts were drained after using an ATM on S Main Street.
You are concerned about protecting your money and so is Sonya Eller who wants to know if a phone's Bluetooth could detect a skimmer.
She wants WFMY News 2 to verify a post she saw on Facebook that claimed that.
The post says before you fill up at a gas station to search for Bluetooth devices on your phone. If a sequence of letters and numbers show up, you shouldn't fill up because that sequence supposedly indicates there's a card reader also known as a skimmer nearby.
While posted under the guise of a helpful tip this post is false and here's why.
Our team consulted with Paul Hardin from the Texas Food and Fuel Association.
He says you can't rely on just your phone's Bluetooth.
"Unfortunately 99 percent of the time that's a false positive," Hardin said.
Hardin says a cell phone's Bluetooth range can pick up signals from nearby vehicles or others up to 30 feet away.
He also says Bluetooth naming isn't regulated so while a random string of letters and numbers might appear suspicious it doesn't automatically meant there's a skimmer on that pump.
Because the phone method is not 100 percent accurate, we are verifying that this post is false, rather wishful thinking.
The only way to truly protect yourself from skimmers is to pay inside using cash.
If you have to pay at the pump, here are some other useful tips.
Try to wiggle the card reader before you put in your card. If it moves, report it to the attendant. Then use a different pump.
If you use a debit card at the pump, run it as a credit card instead of entering a PIN. If that’s not an option, cover your hand when entering your PIN.
Also, try to use a gas pump nearest to the store. Thieves may target gas pumps that are harder for the attendant to see.