I’ve been a mechanic for over 55 years

AN experienced mechanic has revealed why you might want to think twice about swiping your credit card the next time you pump gas.

The technician noted in a TikTok video that grabbing a pump's card reader will help determine whether a criminal is trying to steal your payment information.

The mechanic, Scotty Kilmer (@scottykilmerofficial), clarified in his video that card readers that wiggle or have a piece fall off when you grab them are most likely the workings of skimmers.

Skimming involves a criminal stealing your credit card information by inserting a card reader overtop the gas station's original reader.

A survey in 2021 reflected that 15 percent of Americans had been a victim of credit card skimming during their last thirty days of driving, according to LendingTree.

The survey also showed that 43 percent of the participants had changed how they pay for gas to avoid the scam — and that's precisely what Scotty discussed.

Scotty said if you ever feel like something's off when you insert your card at a reader, pull the card and cancel the pump's transaction.

This mechanic added that you could go one step further with your protection by paying for gas inside the station instead of at the pump.

Viewers of Scotty's TikTok shared their opinions on card skimming in the video's comments.

One viewer commented: "Happened to me once. Always go inside."

Another TikTok account wrote: "I only pay in cash or Apple Pay."

A fourth viewer complimented Scotty: "From car repair to credit repair."