Most credit card skimmers work by installing an extra “read head” inside or outside a machine. This extra read head allows criminals to make a copy of the card’s information as a consumer swipes it. Skim Reaper was built to detect when more than one read head is present, Traynor said...
The device looks like a long credit card that can be slid into a card slot in a gas pump or ATM. It’s attached by a wire to a cellphone-sized box with a small readout screen that says “possible skimmer!” when multiple read heads are detected...
Right now, it costs about $50 to make each Skim Reaper, Traynor said, but his team is working daily to get that number down...
Nolen Scaife, one of the graduate students who designed the device with Traynor, said the team is working to improve the Skim Reaper’s design so that it is wallet-sized. Then, consumers would be able to carry the device and dip it into a card reader before they get gas or use the ATM to ensure they aren’t being skimmed. more
