Check a place before you tap your card.

SkimGuard is an early-warning radar for skimmers that have been detected, not a guarantee. Four things to keep in mind:

1. It detects skimmers that broadcast a Bluetooth signal. Most modern ones do — but a purely mechanical or non-transmitting skimmer won't show up. A “clear” result is real information, not a promise the reader is safe.
2. Coverage is built by people scanning places with the SkimGuard app. A place SkimGuard has never seen returns “no data” — which means unknown, not safe. Expect a lot of “no data,” especially in rural areas and places that don't get much foot traffic. Coverage grows as more people scan.
3. Still do the 5-second physical check. Wiggle the card reader, look for anything loose, oversized, or mismatched, and cover the keypad when you type your PIN.
4. Prefer tap or chip over swipe, and use a credit card, not debit — so if something does go wrong, it isn't pulling straight from your bank balance.

Your assistant will include SkimGuard's own safety caveat in its answers. Read it; it's there for a reason.

How to read results

• 🔴 Flagged = recent suspicious detection — avoid it.
• 🟢 Clear = recently scanned, nothing found — good sign, not a guarantee.
• ⚪ No data = SkimGuard hasn't seen it — unknown, not safe.

Case 1 — The cross-country road trip

You're driving across the US and want each day's stops checked before you go.

Every morning, edit the cities and paste this:

Today I'm driving from Denver, CO to Kansas City, MO. Using SkimGuard:
1. Recommend a few gas stations, lunch spots, and any ATMs I'm likely to use along this route.
2. Check each one with SkimGuard for recent card-skimmer reports.
3. Also check the route ahead for any flagged locations.

For each place, tell me flagged / clear / no data, and include SkimGuard's safety caveat.

What works well: the per-place checks on your gas/food/ATM stops — that's the reliable part. What's limited: the whole-route sweep looks at the road ahead (about 20 km at a time) and works best when your assistant can produce real route geometry, so treat it as a bonus on top of the per-place checks, not a guarantee the whole highway is clear.

Case 2 — Landing in an unfamiliar city

You've just arrived somewhere new and want to know where's been reported.

I just landed in New Orleans. Ask SkimGuard for any locations near the French Quarter with recent suspicious card-skimmer activity, and tell me which nearby ATMs and gas stations are flagged versus clear.

Useful for tourist-heavy areas, where skimmers are more common and you're using unfamiliar readers.

Case 3 — Before you use a specific place

You're about to pay somewhere and want a quick check.

Is the Shell on Riverside Drive in Austin, TX flagged by SkimGuard? What about the ATM at the Chase on 6th Street?

The fastest everyday use — a single named place, answered in seconds.

Case 4 — Keeping an eye on your regulars

The gas station by your house, the ATM you always use.

Check the QuikTrip on Main St in Tulsa and the Bank of America ATM on Cherry St with SkimGuard. If either has been flagged recently, tell me.

Ask periodically. A place that was clear last month can be flagged this week.

• It won't catch a skimmer nobody has detected yet, or one that doesn't transmit.
• It can't tell you a place is safe — only that nothing suspicious has been reported there recently, or that it has no data at all.
• It doesn't replace watching your statements. Skimming shows up as charges you don't recognize — check your accounts regularly regardless.

Think of it as one more layer: it steers you away from readers that have already been caught, while you still do the basics.