A West Virginia resident is urging shoppers to stay alert after their credit card was allegedly compromised. Hoping to prevent others from falling victim, the person shared a list of businesses they had recently visited in and around Cross Lanes and Charleston, while making it clear there is no evidence that any individual location was responsible.
Instead, the Reddit user encouraged people to use tap-to-pay whenever possible and to keep a close eye on their bank accounts for any suspicious activity.
Reddit user Scared_Bathroom293 shared a post on the West Virginia subreddit explaining that they work in cybersecurity and have noticed an increase in reports of card skimming. The user said they recently discovered their own credit card had allegedly been compromised and compiled a list of businesses they had visited beforehand, many of them in Cross Lanes, in an effort to help others identify any potential patterns.
The Reddit user said they had recently shopped at Doc Bailey Speedway, Kroger, Walmart, Sheetz, Dollar General, Cabin Creek Marathon, Par Mar, and a 7-Eleven on West Washington Street before noticing the alleged fraudulent activity. They emphasized that they were not claiming any of those businesses were responsible and were simply sharing their recent stops in case other shoppers had experienced similar issues.
Although the Reddit user made it clear they were not accusing any of the businesses of wrongdoing, the post sparked a wider discussion about card security. Several commenters shared similar experiences and encouraged others to use tap-to-pay or digital wallets whenever possible to help reduce the risk of card skimming.
West Virginia Redditors Talk About Their Experiences With Card Skimmers
While the OP was the alleged victim this time, other Redditors started talking about their experiences.
“This is why I use Apple Pay (either via my phone or watch) anywhere and everywhere I can, especially when pumping gas.“
“Always tap. Always.“
Others shared stories of how they sadly got scammed, hoping for this to serve as a warning to other potential victims.
“Two summers ago, I was on a trip to upstate New York, used Apple Pay everywhere I could, except for one gas station near my hotel on the day we left, because it didn’t have the scanner on their pumps, so I used my card. Two days later, I got a (valid) fraud alert from my bank (Pioneer Credit Union) and had to cancel that card and get a new one.“
Ultimately, whether or not the Reddit user’s card was compromised through skimming remains unclear. However, the discussion served as a reminder that payment fraud can happen anywhere, prompting many commenters to encourage shoppers to use tap-to-pay whenever possible and regularly monitor their bank accounts for suspicious activity.
