Current Events in December 2019

Attention last-minute holiday shoppers -- if you plan to mail holiday gifts out of town, this is the week you need to get busy.

Christmas arrives in the middle of next week, and the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is offering a gentle reminder that time is running out. It said it expects to deliver 2.5 billion cards and package this week alone.

The agency has extended Sunday operations in various cities where package volume has been highest. It already delivers packages on Sundays in most major cities and expects to deliver more than 8 million packages each Sunday in December. 

Here are the USPS deadlines you need to keep in mind this week:

• Dec. 18 – APO/FPO/DPO (except ZIP Code 093) USPS Priority Mail Express

• Dec. 20 – First-Class Mail (including greeting cards)

• Dec. 20 – First-Class Packages (up to 15.99 ounces)

• Dec. 20 – Hawaii to mainland Priority Mail and First-Class Mail

• Dec. 20 – Alaska to mainland Priority Mail and First-Class Mail

• Dec. 21 – Priority Mail

• Dec. 22 – Alaska to mainland Priority Mail Express

• Dec. 22 – Hawaii to mainland Priority Mail Express

• Dec. 23 – Priority Mail Express

Keep in mind these deadlines don’t constitute a guarantee but are estimates for delivery before December 25.

New rules

There are a couple of new wrinkles at USPS this holiday season. Mail and packages weighing more than 10 ounces and more than a half-inch thick can’t be dropped in pickup boxes if their postage consists of stamps. You’ll need to take them to a window clerk at a post office. Customers using Click-N-Ship are not affected.

If you think you’ll be returning items using USPS after the holidays, you may want to sign up for Informed Delivery to help you keep track of your shipments. The video below, provided by USPS, explains how to do it.

Relying on retailers

Retailers may also offer an easy way to get last-minute gifts delivered before Christmas. Target says orders placed on Target.com by noon CT on Friday, Dec. 20 qualify for free delivery by Tuesday, December 24.

Amazon Prime members can get free delivery on millions of items if purchased by Sunday, December 22. Consumers in areas where one-day and same-day delivery are available can put off shopping to December 23 or December 24.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced today that it is approving the sale of two new tobacco products that have lower amounts of nicotine than traditional cigarettes.

The agency says that the products -- which are manufactured by 22nd Century Group Inc. -- meet its standards and could potentially help curb nicotine dependence and addiction rates in adult smokers. However, it makes clear that the products still carry many of the same health risks that commercial cigarettes do.

“While today’s action permits the new tobacco products to be legally sold or distributed in the U.S., it does not mean these products are safe of ‘FDA-approved,’” the FDA said in its announcement. 

“In its decision, the agency notes that the Moonlight and Moonlight Menthol cigarette products differ from conventional cigarettes in nicotine content only -- the products share similar adverse health risks as conventional cigarettes. There are no safe tobacco products and those who do not use tobacco products should not start.”

Preventing marketing to youth users

In a press release, the FDA says that the new products should not be attractive to youth users. But with that in mind, it says that it will be placing “stringent restrictions” on how the products are marketed online and on social media platforms. 

The manufacturer will also be required to regularly report to the FDA about any information it collects through research studies, sales data, and other avenues so that the agency can respond accordingly if young people start using the products. 

“The FDA may withdraw this marketing order if, among other reasons, it determines that the continued marketing of a product is no longer appropriate for the protection of public health, such as if there is an uptake of the product by youth,” the FDA stated.

Competition between Amazon and FedEx may be heating up, but it could come at a bad time for consumers who are depending on the services for holiday deliveries. 

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reports that Amazon has blocked third-party sellers on its site from using FedEx’s ground delivery service for consumers’ Prime orders. While sellers can still use FedEx’s ground delivery for standard orders or its Express delivery for Prime orders, the move will likely have an impact on package delivery during a busy holiday season. 

“While this decision affects a very small number of shippers, it limits the options for those small businesses on some of the highest demand shipping days in history, and may compromise their ability to meet customer demands and manage their businesses,” a FedEx spokesperson told CNBC, adding that the company will still try to support its customers to the best of its ability.

Amazon reportedly told third-party sellers that it based its decision to limit shipping options through FedEx to ensure that customers could receive their packages on time during a period of high package traffic.

Growing competition

FedEx and Amazon may continue to butt heads as each company tries to take more control of the ecommerce space. Earlier this year, FedEx announced that it would be severing ties with the online retailer by ending its ground delivery contract and no longer shipping packages by air via FedEx Express.

However, Amazon has been making moves of its own to become more self-reliant from a shipping standpoint. It has been working to expand its own ground delivery fleet so that it can deliver customers’ packages on its own.

“We are constantly innovating to improve the carrier experience and sometimes that means reevaluating our carrier relationships. FedEx has been a great partner over the years and we appreciate all their work delivering packages to our customers,” the company said following the termination of its contract with the company.

Boeing has announced it will stop work on 737 MAX aircraft currently in production while it awaits action by regulators who will decide when the grounded plane can fly again.

While sources reported over the weekend that the company might have to adjust production schedules, the announcement appeared to come as a surprise to the financial markets, with CNBC terming it “drastic.”

“Throughout the grounding of the 737 MAX, Boeing has continued to build new airplanes and there are now approximately 400 airplanes in storage,” the company said in a late Monday statement. “We have previously stated that we would continually evaluate our production plans should the MAX grounding continue longer than we expected. As a result of this ongoing evaluation, we have decided to prioritize the delivery of stored aircraft and temporarily suspend production on the 737 program beginning next month.”

The three U.S. airlines that fly the 737 MAX -- Southwest, American, and United -- have consolidated flights and employed other aircraft to make up for the loss of 737 MAX equipment.

The 737 MAX had been one of the aircraft company’s most successful planes, valued for its fuel efficiency and state-of-the-art engineering. But a crash of a Ryan Air 737 MAX in October 2018 and the loss of an Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX five months later resulted in the worldwide grounding of the jet.

What began as a reconfiguration of software turned into a major reexamination of the plane’s overall safety. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), under fire for the process of certifying the plane in the first place, appears to be in no hurry to return it to the air.

No layoffs

In announcing the temporary shutdown of the 737 MAX production line, Boeing officials stressed that no employees would be laid off or furloughed. The company said they would either continue 737-related work or would be reassigned to other teams.

“We believe this decision is least disruptive to maintaining long-term production system and supply chain health,” the company said.

Boeing said the decision was influenced by several factors, including the reality that recertification of the aircraft will extend into 2020. 

While trends in antibiotic resistance have been widely studied by researchers, a new study conducted by Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health has recently uncovered another layer in the fight against antibiotic overuse. 

The researchers found that children in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) are receiving more antibiotics than countries with higher incomes. This is troubling to the researchers, as they worry that such findings could contribute to antibiotic resistance around the world. 

“We knew children in LMCIs are sick more often, and we knew antibiotic prescription rates are high in many countries,” said researcher Günther Fink. “What we did not know was how these elements translate into actual antibiotic exposure -- and the results are rather alarming.” 

Protecting against antibiotic resistance

The researchers evaluated data spanning a decade that was collected from both individual households and health facilities in eight LMICs: Malawi, Haiti, Senegal, Uganda, Namibia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Nepal. 

“What is unique about this study is that it provides a much more comprehensive picture of pediatric antibiotic exposure in LMICs than what has been previously reported,” said researcher Jessica Cohen. “It combines both household data on where and when children are brought for care with data from direct observations of healthcare workers caring for sick children.” 

In all of the responses, the sick children were all aged five or younger. The researchers were able to break down the collected data to determine how many prescriptions were being distributed and what conditions they were being used as a treatment option for. 

While each country yielded different results, the researchers ultimately determined that children from LMICs were receiving antibiotics at a far more rapid pace than children from higher-income regions. 

For high-income nations, the researchers explained that even two antibiotic prescriptions per year was considered excessive. However, children in a LMIC received an average of 25 antibiotic prescriptions by the time they were five years old.

Growing problem

This study proves that there’s a global struggle when it comes to antibiotics, as some countries are in dire need of them. However, as these findings have made clear, there are countries that are overdoing it -- especially when it comes to the youngest population. 

As threats regarding antibiotic resistance continue to loom, the researchers warn against quickly doling out prescriptions for antibiotics, as the effects can impact groups around the globe. 

“The consequences of antibiotic overprescription not only pose a huge threat to global health, but can also result in a concrete health impact for these children,” said researcher Valérie D'Acremont. “Excess antibiotic use destroys the natural gut flora which is essential to fighting pathogens.” 

Several major tech companies -- including Apple and Google -- face a lawsuit which claims they are culpable in the deaths of Congolese children engaged in cobalt mining.

The suit, filed in Washington on behalf of 14 parents and children from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), claims many U.S. tech giants bear responsibility because the children were killed or seriously injured while mining for cobalt used to power the companies’ devices.

The families claim the labor of their children was forced. It is the first such suit to attempt to link mine activities with rechargeable lithium batteries used in millions of products sold by Apple, Google, Dell, Microsoft, and Tesla every year. 

Insatiable demand for cobalt

The suit alleges that the “insatiable demand for cobalt,” driven by the desire for mobile devices, has surged in the last few years and could double again by the end of 2020. 

The plaintiffs claim that several major U.S.-based tech companies aided and abetted mining companies in the Congo that exploited child labor, forcing children to work in dangerous conditions that resulted in the death of some and the injury to many more.

While the defendants have no ownership in the mines, the suit claims the defendants benefited from the mines’ operation. The plaintiffs claim their children had no option but to work in the minds under dangerous conditions because of their extreme poverty.

Microsoft said it is “committed to responsible sourcing of minerals” and that it will investigate any violations by its suppliers and will take necessary action.

On Monday, Instagram rolled out a new feature that will prompt users to double-check their post captions to avoid offending other people. 

In a blog post, the platform says that the new feature will give users “a chance to pause and reconsider their words before posting.” The feature was first unveiled earlier this year, and its wider rollout follows a successful testing phase.

“As part of our long-term commitment to lead the fight against online bullying, we’ve developed and tested AI that can recognize forms of bullying on Instagram,” the company said. “Results have been promising, and we’ve found these types of nudges can encourage people to reconsider their words when given a chance.”

Using AI to detect bullying

With the feature beginning to roll out more widely, users will now see a prompt that asks them to review their proposed caption before posting if Instagram’s AI determines that it could be offensive to other users. The platform says that the determination will be made if the language in the caption is similar to other captions that have been reported for bullying in the past.

Instagram says it is currently introducing the feature in select countries and that a wider, global rollout will take place during the coming months. 

Ford Motor Company is recalling 86,296 model year 2018-2019 F-250, F-350 and F-450 Super Duty trucks.

The Daytime Running Lights (DRL) may not dim when the headlight switch is moved into the "On" position, reducing the visibility of other drivers and increasing the risk of a crash.

What to do

Ford has notified owners, and dealers will reprogram the Body Control Module (BCM) software free of charge.

The recall began November 25, 2019.

Owners may contact Ford customer service at (866) 436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19C10.

White Castle is recalling frozen 6-pack cheeseburgers, frozen 6-pack hamburgers, frozen 6-pack jalapeno cheeseburgers, 16-pack hamburgers and 16-pack cheeseburgers.

The products may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

No illnesses have been reported to date.

The following products, sold at select retailers in rectangular cardboard packages with best by dates ranging from August 4 – 17, 2020, are being recalled:

What to do

Customers who purchased the recalled products should discard or return them to the store where were purchased for an exchange or full refund.

Consumers with questions may contact the company at (800) 843-2728.

BMW of North America (BMW) is recalling 34,396 model year 1999-2000 323i & 328i, and model year 2000 323Ci & 328Ci vehicles with Non-Azide Driver airbag Inflators (NADI) manufactured by Takata.

The inflators do not contain phase stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. Due to a manufacturing issue, the NADI inflators may absorb moisture, causing the inflators to rupture or the airbag cushion to underinflate.

In a crash necessitating airbag deployment, an inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants. An underinflated airbag may not properly protect the occupant.

Any of these situations increase the risk of serious injury or death.

What to do

BMW will mail interim notices informing owners of the safety risk on January 17, 2020. Owners will receive a second notice when the remedy becomes available.

Dealers will inspect the driver airbag inflators and replace them, as necessary, free of charge.

Owners may contact BMW customer service at (800) 525-7417.

The holiday period between Thanksgiving and New Years Day is not just make-or-break time for retailers -- it’s when fraudsters cash in as well.

With people making multiple credit card transactions and making donations to charities at this time of year, criminals have an easier time tricking consumers. AARP’s Fraud Watch Network has identified three major holiday scams that often catch their victims off-guard.

"This time of year, many of us are busy with holiday preparations and social activities. Scammers hope they can take advantage of these seasonal distractions to convince us to do their nefarious bidding," said Kathy Stokes, director, fraud prevention programs at AARP.  "We're trying to draw attention to the red flags of seasonal scams because if you can spot a scam, you can stop a scam."

Gift card scams

Seventy percent of consumers plan to give a gift card this year, and that provides ample opportunity for scammers. All it takes is a way for scammers to record the PIN on the back of the card. After it is activated by the recipient, the scammer can then withdraw all the money.

Despite precautions by gift card makers that hide the PIN until the card is purchased, this scam happens more than you might think. In a recent AARP survey, 20 percent of people who had received a gift card reported some or all of the funds had been withdrawn.

To guard against this scam, carefully examine a gift card for signs of tampering before making a  purchase. The best safeguard is to only buy cards from stores that keep the rack behind their counter. Consumers can also make an online purchase directly from the retailer.

Package delivery scams

With so many gifts now purchased online, those items are usually delivered to doorsteps where they become tempting targets for “porch pirates.” When ordering or sending a gift, request for the delivery company to obtain a signature to complete the delivery.

If that’s not an available option, explore alternatives offered by shipping companies that allow customers to pick up packages from a secure location. For example, in 2017 FedEx began setting up shipping centers in Walgreens locations to provide a secure place for customers to pick up their packages.

Charity scams

Consumers often feel more generous at this time of year. On a more practical note, many make charitable donations at the end of the year to increase their tax deductions.

It’s an ideal opportunity for fraudsters to take advantage of this generosity by impersonating a real charity or simply making one up. You can guard against this by choosing one or two well-established charities that you can donate to every year.

If you’re considering donating to a new charity, use a charity-rating site like Give.org or CharityNavigator.org to make sure the organization is legitimate. You can also check on what percentage of collected donations actually support the charitable purpose.

The U.S. and China have agreed on “phase one” of a trade agreement. As a result, China will reportedly nearly double its imports from the U.S., and President Trump canceled the latest round of tariffs on Chinese goods, which were scheduled to take effect over the weekend.

Under the agreement, China is still paying tariffs. The U.S. will continue to levy a 25 percent tariff on $250 billion in Chinese imports, but U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer says the 15 percent tariff on $120 billion in Chinese products is being cut in half.

On CBS’ Face The Nation, Lighthizer said China has agreed to significantly ramp up its U.S. imports, which should please manufacturers and farmers. 

“Keep in mind, by the second year, we will just about double exports of goods to China, if this agreement is in place,” Lighthizer said. 

Not quite certain

But that part of the deal doesn’t appear to be that certain. China has committed to significant increases in U.S. imports, but it hasn’t actually said how much they’ll spend and when they’ll spend it.

Lighthizer conceded that how beneficial the agreement turns out to be will depend a lot on China and who in the government is making the final decisions. Just as in the U.S., there are some in the Chinese government willing to compromise and others who are holding fast to their positions.

American farmers and their rural communities may have been hit hardest by the trade war because it has cut into U.S. agricultural exports. A few farmers are skeptical that the trade agreement is going to change things quickly.

Brian Kuehl, the co-executive director of Farmers for Free Trade, a group that has opposed the tariffs, told Business Insider that, logistically, jump-starting a massive import program is hard to do.

Lots of boxes to check

Kuehl said there are lots of boxes to check off before large amounts of products can head for China, including infrastructure for inspections and the drafting of new regulations. There’s also the matter of supply and demand, which will affect how quickly China can increase its imports.

The phase two trade agreement will be more ambitious, and no one is predicting when it might be reached. However, President Trump said recently it might be better to wait until after the 2020 presidential election to negotiate it.

That agreement will tackle access to the Chinese market for more American products and protection of U.S. intellectual property.

Consumers who use e-cigarettes in hopes of quitting smoking may not be helping their cause. In fact, a recent study suggests that it could be raising their risk for respiratory disease.

While the products were originally created and marketed as an alternative to traditional cigarettes, study findings show that many consumers are using them in addition to traditional cigarettes. That, the research team says, demonstrates that the products should not be used as a stop-gap for consumers looking to quit smoking completely.

“Although switching from combustible tobacco, including cigarettes, to e-cigarettes theoretically could reduce the risk of developing respiratory disease, current evidence indicates high prevalence of dual use, which is associated with increased risk beyond combustible tobacco use,” the researchers concluded. 

“For most smokers, using an e-cigarette is associated with lower odds of successfully quitting smoking. E-cigarettes should not be recommended.”

Dangerous dual use

To come to their conclusions, researchers from the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education collected data on e-cigarette use over a three-year period from consumers who used the devices. Participants, ranging in age from 18 to 74, answered questions about their e-cigarette use and health.

While the findings showed that participants who switched from using traditional cigarettes to exclusively using e-cigarettes could lower their risk for respiratory disease, the researchers say that less than one percent of participants at two checkpoints in the study were able to completely make that switch. Instead, they said the vast majority continued to use both traditional cigarettes and e-cigarettes after beginning to use the latter. 

To make matters worse, findings showed that consumers who used both e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes were 3.3 times more likely to develop respiratory disease when compared to participants who had never used either product.

“Dual use of e-cigarettes and combustible tobacco (including cigarettes) is more dangerous than using either product alone,” the team concluded. 

Deaths and hospitalizations continue to rise

The findings come in the wake of a stark update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As of December 10, the agency estimates that over 2,400 hospitalizations linked to vaping and e-cigarette use had occurred in the U.S. Fifty-two deaths in 26 states have also been tied to the devices.

Unfortunately, the number of deaths and injuries have not stopped young people from using the devices. A report published earlier this month showed that over 6.2 million middle and high school students used tobacco within the previous 30 days, with much of that number being attributed to e-cigarette use. 

“Youth use of any tobacco product, including e-cigarettes, is unsafe. It is incumbent upon public health and healthcare professionals to educate Americans about the risks resulting from this epidemic among our youth,” said CDC Director Robert R. Redfield.

Things don’t appear to be getting any better for Boeing and its beleaguered 737 Max aircraft. Following an extended grounding period and an FAA report which indicated that these jets were more prone to crashes, the company may have to cut back on production.

CNN cites sources familiar with the matter as saying that a decision to curb or suspend production could come as soon as Monday after U.S. markets close. In a statement to the news outlet, company officials said that they will continue to work with regulators in the U.S. and around the world to bring the 737 Max back into service. 

“We will continue to assess production decisions based on the timing and conditions of return to service, which will be based on regulatory approvals and may vary by jurisdiction,” the company noted.

Planes to remain grounded

While regulatory approval would certainly be a step in the right direction for Boeing, it might be some time before consumers see 737 Max planes back in the air. 

Even if the company were to get the regulatory green light from the FAA by early 2020, professional pilots would still need to be retrained on the aircraft’s new systems -- a process that could take months to complete. Airline companies would also need to be content with activating the jets within their fleets, which may be a daunting process if consumers don’t want to purchase a ticket with an airliner that uses the planes.

The 737 Max was originally grounded around the world due to two fatal accidents that occurred in March. The crashes claimed a total of 346 lives, and affected families are eligible to receive up to $144,500 in compensation from a fund of $50 million that Boeing established in July.

Getting enough sleep is crucial for consumers’ mental and physical well-being, but for those who struggle with insomnia, the nighttime hours can feel daunting and anxiety-inducing. 

Now, researchers from Columbia University Irving Medical Center have link another risk factor to insomnia: refined carbs. According to their study, consumers who have a higher intake of refined carbs are increasing their likelihood for the condition. 

“Insomnia is often treated with cognitive behavioral therapy or medications, but these can be expensive or carry side effects,” said researcher James Gangwisch, PhD. “By identifying other factors that lead to insomnia, we may find straightforward and low-cost interventions with fewer potential side effects.” 

How diet affects sleep

Utilizing data from the Women’s Health Initiative, the researchers gained access to over 50,000 women’s food diaries, which they used to determine what relationship different dietary patterns had with insomnia. 

The study revealed that those who had a more well-rounded diet that incorporated more fruits and vegetables into their daily meals and snacks were less likely to develop insomnia. However, those who ate more refined carbs, like white rice or white bread, were more likely to experience insomnia. The risk for insomnia was highest when consumers compounded a diet high in refined carbs with foods and drinks that were high in added sugar. 

The researchers hypothesized that the way the body responds to higher sugar or carb intake could be at the heart of insomnia-related symptoms. They explained that blood sugar levels can fluctuate, which, in turn, can affect the production of other hormones, many of which can affect sleeping patterns. 

“When blood sugar is raised quickly, your body reacts by releasing insulin, and the resulting drop in blood sugar can lead to the release of hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol, which can interfere with sleep,” said Dr. Gangwisch. 

Improving diet to improve sleep

Moving forward, the researchers want to encourage more experts to consider dietary interventions as a possibility for consumers struggling with insomnia, as treatments for the condition can be difficult to implement. 

“Based on our findings, we would need randomized clinical trials to determine if a dietary intervention, focused on increasing the consumption of whole foods and complex carbohydrates, could be used to prevent and treat insomnia,” said Gangwisch. 

Recent studies have linked sleep deprivation with errors in consumers’ memory and a reduced ability to properly complete tasks, which can be troublesome during working hours. 

Now, researchers from New York University found that this lack of sleep has become a cause for concern for nurses. The team found that many of these health care professionals are missing nearly an hour and a half of sleep the night before they’re scheduled to work. 

“Nurses are sleeping, on average, less than recommended amounts prior to work, which may have an impact on their health and performance on the job,” said researcher Amy Witkoski Stimpfel, PhD. 

Prioritizing sleep

The researchers surveyed over 1,500 registered nurses about their sleeping habits, both when they’re scheduled to work and when they have time off, in an effort to understand how sleep could affect them mentally and physically at work. 

On average, the nurses involved in the study were getting 83 fewer minutes of sleep on nights before they had work, including naps. When nurses didn’t have work the next day, they were sleeping more than eight hours, but that figure dropped to under seven hours when a shift was imminent. 

The researchers are primarily concerned about how this lack of sleep could affect nurses’ performance on the job and what risk, if any, this poses for the patients in their care. 

As previous studies have reported, getting enough sleep is crucial for consumers to function optimally. Catching up on sleep isn’t a realistic expectation -- especially when thinking about the long hours and frequent schedule changes that nurses frequently experience. 

“Research on chronic partial sleep deprivation in healthy adults shows that after several days of not getting enough sleep, more than one day of ‘recovery sleep’ -- or more than 10 hours in bed -- may be needed to return to basic functioning,” said Dr. Witkoski Stimpfel. “But considering a nurse’s schedule, which often involves consecutive 12-hour shifts and may only offer one or two days between shifts, the risk of complete recovery, or ‘catching up,’ is low.”

To ensure that all patients are receiving the highest quality of care, and that nurses have ample time to rest and recover, the researchers encourage hospitals and other medical offices to take these findings into consideration when scheduling nurses for shifts.

“It’s in everyone’s interest to have nurses well-rested so they can perform their critical function within the healthcare system and keep patients safe,” said researcher Christine Kovner, PhD, RN. 

Using payment cards to purchase fuel at gas pumps may have gotten a little more risky. In a security alert, Visa warns that it has detected new cases of fraud in which criminals are stealing credit card data by breaking into a merchant’s network.

“Skimming” card data at gas pumps has been a problem for years, but these scams have all been fairly low-tech. A criminal might replace a gas pump’s card reader with a device that captures a consumer’s payment card information, but they must return to the scene later and retrieve the device.

Over the summer, Visa found that “threat actors” have stepped up their game when it comes to stealing consumers’ payment card information. Using phishing emails, the scammers target merchant employees. If one clicks on an email link, they download malware that infects the entire network.

Data captured from the network

The malware looks for payment card transactions made at the company’s gas pumps and captures the information from the card. It is able to do that fairly easily because many point-of-sale systems at gas pumps still use the old fashioned magnetic strip on the back of the card and not the more secure embedded chip.

When a customer buys gas with a credit card, the point-of-sale system sends the unencrypted data to the company’s main network where the scammer’s software is waiting to capture it. Visa says many companies make it easier for thieves by not walling off this data from the rest of the network.

Visa warns that this is a very troubling trend because criminals now see gas pumps as much easier and more lucrative targets. They’re much less risky as well, since the fraudsters don’t have to physically visit the location to install skimming hardware.

“Fuel dispenser merchants should take note of this activity and deploy devices that support chip wherever possible, as this will significantly lower the likelihood of these attacks,” Visa said in its security alert. 

Equipment updates needed

Visa says that encrypting credit card data would also help deter thieves from stealing this information. Without these safeguards, the company warns that gas stations will continue to be an attractive target for sophisticated threat actors motivated by obtaining payment card data from point-of-sale systems. 

Consumers can reduce their risk by controlling the way they pay for fuel. Paying with cash is the most secure form of payment, but it isn’t the most convenient.

If you choose to use a payment card, select a credit card rather than a debit card. Most credit cards offer more robust fraud protection and limit customer liability in cases where fraud is promptly reported.

Consumers should use only one credit card for fuel purchases and check the balance regularly to look for fraudulent or unauthorized purchases.