Now comes another good reason to carefully check your monthly credit card statements: credit card skimmers. These are devices that are attached to actual card readers, scanning credit or debit card information anywhere the cards can be swiped; crooks then use the captured data to create fake debit or credit cards, and steal from victims’ accounts.

Scary stuff. Consumers also should be vigilant when swiping payment cards at self-checkout kiosks, and be on the lookout for suspicious card-reading attachments. Businesses, meanwhile, must routinely inspect their card-scanning equipment.