Researchers create 'Skim Reaper' to detect credit card skimmers

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - Chances are good, you know someone whose credit card information was stolen by thieves using a card skimmer.

The little electronic devices fit over and sometimes inside real credit card machines, and they are sometimes very difficult to detect. When you swipe your card, the thieves steal the info embedded in your card's magnetic strip.

University of Florida researcher, Patrick Traynor, and his team at the Florida Institute for Cybersecurity has a device that instantly detects if a credit card machine contains a skimmer. It is called "The Skim Reaper," because it was created to kill skimming.

The New York Post reports that the NYPD has been testing the gadget since February, and officials hope will turn the tide in the war against credit card skimmers