web1_Walter.jpeg.jpg

Effort to rethink Luzerne County’s home rule charter fails to launch

web1_grace.jpeg

Their view: The talk to have before college

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; The Pennsylvania Senate last week unanimously approved House Bill 1918 &#8212; legislation that will reduce fraud by criminalizing the use of credit card skimming devices.</p><p>The measure, sponsored by state Rep. Kristin Phillips-Hill of York County, now heads to Gov. Tom Wolf for his signature.</p><p>Specifically, HB 1918 would criminalize the use of a scanning or skimming device, the use of a re-encoder, and the possession or sale of a skimming device &#8212; along with imposing stiff penalties. Currently, prosecutors can only levy theft charges against such crimes.</p><p>&#8220;We strongly urge Gov. Wolf to sign this important piece of legislation that will protect consumers and benefit thousands of Pennsylvania businesses by creating a strong deterrent for identity thieves,&#8221; PFMA President and CEO Alex Baloga said.</p><p>Baloga said this is an issue that retailers and the legislature and governor&#8217;s office have been working on for some time to try to combat credit card skimming.</p><p>&#8220;Our goal is to protect consumers,&#8221; Baloga said. &#8220;We are doing everything we can to combat credit card skimming. It&#8217;s a long-standing fight and we have several partners. We will continue to do all we can to increase awareness. This legislation is a step in the right direction.&#8221;</p><p>Hard-to-detect credit card skimming devices are used to copy identifying information of credit cards at gas pumps, cash machines and other common points of payment.</p><p>Nationwide, credit card fraud costs retailers $580.5 million in losses and $6.47 billion in prevention costs annually.</p><p>The new crime would be graded as a third-degree felony for a first offense and a second or subsequent offense would be a second-degree felony. If signed into law, Pennsylvania would join 30 other states with similar laws on the books.</p><p>The bill would take effect 60 days following the governor&#8217;s signature.</p><p>&#8220;There is definitely more awareness today,&#8221; Baloga said. &#8220;Law enforcement, retailers, government agencies and the media are all telling consumers what to watch for. It&#8217;s been a group effort.&#8221;</p><p><strong>FTC issues tips</strong></p><p>The Federal Trade Commission &#8212; www.consumer.ftc &#8212; offers several tips to keep your cards and account numbers safe.</p><p>For example, the FTC recommends you keep a record of all account numbers, their expiration dates and the phone number to report fraud for each company in a secure place. Also, don&#8217;t lend your card to anyone &#8212; even your kids or roommates &#8212; and don&#8217;t leave your cards, receipts, or statements around your home or office. When you no longer need them, shred them before throwing them away.</p><p><ins>Other fraud protection practices include: </ins></p><p><ins>&#8226; Don&#8217;t give your account number to anyone on the phone unless you&#8217;ve made the call to a company you know to be reputable. If you&#8217;ve never done business with them before, do an online search first for reviews or complaints. </ins></p><p><ins>&#8226; Carry your cards separately from your wallet. It can minimize your losses if someone steals your wallet or purse. And carry only the card you need for that outing. </ins></p><p><ins>&#8226; During a transaction, keep your eye on your card. Make sure you get it back before you walk away. </ins></p><p><ins>&#8226; Never sign a blank receipt. Draw a line through any blank spaces above the total. </ins></p><p><ins>&#8226; Save your receipts to compare with your statement. </ins></p><p><ins>&#8226; Open your bills promptly &#8212; or check them online often &#8212; and reconcile them with the purchases you&#8217;ve made. </ins></p><p><ins>&#8226; Report any questionable charges to the card issuer. </ins></p><p><ins>&#8226; Notify your card issuer if your address changes or if you will be traveling. </ins></p><p><ins>&#8226; Don&#8217;t write your account number on the outside of an envelope. </ins></p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/web1_Alex-Baloga.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Baloga </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/web1_Alex-Baloga.jpg</photo0><caption0>Baloga </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Pennsylvania senate approves anti-credit card skimming bill