Texas officials have gone all privy with their reporting on skimmer-hit fuel sites, thanks to a new legislation that seeks to establish greater cooperation between local gas station owners and state regulators on the subject of data security at pumps.
Background
Previously, Texas authorities would publicly release information about the locations where they found card skimmers installed. Gas station owners often criticized this practice because they believed it could hurt their reputation in the market.
For some fuel retailers, the fear of losing the business was so overwhelming that they would refrain from reporting any skimming incident unsurfaced at their site, which further had the regulators reportedly feeling concerned.
Therefore, a solution had to be worked out.
The Solution
To encourage self-reporting and help gas station owners avoid potential loss of business, state representative Marry Ann Perez authored house bill 2945, which she presented to the Texas House of Representatives on May 2, 2019.
The bill provisioned for the privacy of skimmer-hit fuel sites. Additionally, it specified guidelines for station owners on what they need to do if they find a skimmer at their gas station. Lastly, it laid out instructions for the Attorney General Office to design a set of best practices and standards to minimize the risk of skimmers at gas pumps.
HB2945 received unanimous support from the Texas House of Representative and went into effect on September 1, 2019.
The Sentiments
Representative Marry Ann believes the bill will help reinforce data protection at Texas gas stations.
“This is a problem that Texas will take the lead on and become a model for other states. I appreciate the stakeholders coming together on this issue…I am proud that we, together as a body, will combat credit card skimming at gas pumps in Texas.”
Is Your Gas Station Protected?
The fuel retail industry faces a major challenge in the form of card skimming incidents. EMV technology has proven to be quite effective for nullifying skimmers and, as such, presents a reliable solution to the problem.
To learn how EMV can help protect your gas station and fuel customers from potential card skimming incidents, contact the John W. Kennedy Company.
John W. Kennedy Company is your trusted gas station equipment and essentials supplier. We’ve been serving the U.S gas stations and convenience stores since 1930. Visit our online store to learn more about our products and services.