Bill would outlaw credit card skimming devices

Lawmakers are advancing a bill that could curb the use of skimming devices to illegally obtain credit card numbers.

Last week, the state House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill that would make it illegal to use skimming devices to steal credit card information. Such devices have been widely used by criminals to obtain consumers’ credit card data for theft and fraud. Typically, authorities prosecute such cases under theft and fraud laws but there is no state law to prevent anyone from owning such skimming devices.

State Rep. Kristin Phillips-Hill, a York County Republican, sponsored the bill and hopes it will cut down on fraud.

“People who question the need for this legislation are shocked to find it’s perfectly legal to own one of these skimming devices, which have no purpose other than to steal personal information and use it for conducting illegal transactions,” Phillips-Hill said in a statement. “We’re simply closing a loophole that contributes to the excessive number of identity theft cases that exist statewide.”

Phillips-Hill said she’s grateful for the bipartisan support for the bill. Within a month of her introducing the bill, the House approved the measure. That’s an unusually swift passage for a bill in the General Assembly.

The measure now moves to the state Senate. Phillips-Hill said she is hoping Gov. Tom Wolf will soon see the bill on his desk and sign it.