The Pennsylvania House is a step closer to passing a legislation to tackle the growing threat of credit card skimming.
On Tuesday, the State’s House Judiciary Committee approved HB 1918 to prevent credit card fraud by scanning and skimming devices. Republican Rep. Kristin Phillips-Hill introduced the bill, which received unanimous support from the members of the committee.
Credit card skimming is a type of credit card fraud. Thieves use a device to steal a person’s credit card information during a transaction. Credit card skimmers normally place their device over the card swipe mechanisms of ATMs and gas stations.
In 2015, the amount of losses from debit and credit card fraud globally was $21.4 billion. The United States accounted for 38.7% of the worldwide payment card fraud losses during that year, according to Wallet Hub.
Legislation criminalizes possessing credit card skimming devices
HB 1918 will amend Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania Statues in forgery and fraudulent practices.
