'I Knew It:' Atlanta Man Pulls Into QuikTrip Gas Station. Then He Nearly Uses Tap-to-Pay at the Pump Before Taking a Closer Look

"That’s why I use their app to pay."

Photo by: Unsplash.com

By: Stacy Fernandez

Sep 9, 2025 at 1:00pm ET

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Social media is full of tips and warnings about staying safe while paying at the gas pump, but just because something looks a bit odd doesn’t mean it's a scam.

Experts say that while it’s important to stay alert, not everything you see online is accurate. Approach viral claims with caution and verify information with reliable sources.

Tap-to-Pay PSA

In a trending video with more than 38,000 views, content creator Katavious (@katavious73) shared how not to get scammed out of your credit card info at the gas station.

“Now if my knowledge of TikTok has taught me anything—if, oh, please let this be right,” Katavious said as he pulled the tap-to-pay sticker off a tap port at the gas station.

“I knew it. They trying to scam people out here at the QuikTrip. Y’all please be safe out here,” he added.

Katavious thinks, based on other TikTok videos, that the stickers were placed by scammers hoping to steal card info, which is why he made the video to raise awareness.

While Katavious obviously has the best intentions, his PSA may not be all that accurate.

Are These Stickers a Scam?

Stickers placed over tap-to-pay terminals at gas pumps are almost always legitimate replacements for worn or hard-to-see decals, not a method for stealing card data, the Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center (FCIC) stated in a press release.

“While we all need to stay vigilant as criminals become more savvy, there are no legitimate instances reported where ‘tap-to-pay stickers’ have been used to steal data,” said Jeff Roberts, FCIC Intelligence Operations Captain. “The decals shown in social media posts appear to be standard industry stickers used to replace worn or hard to see tap-to-pay terminals.”

While these decals aren’t a scam, customers should report any suspicious or unusual attachments to gas station staff and avoid swiping their cards if something seems amiss. Tap-to-pay, especially via a payment app, remains the safest way to pay at fuel pumps.

QuikTrip declined to comment via email and pointed Motor1 to a statement it previously made about the matter.

"State regulators have confirmed that recent social media posts regarding tap-to-pay stickers are false,” a QuikTrip representative told Atlanta News First. The company purportedly added, “The stickers shown in those videos are standard replacements, not tools for fraud, and there are no verified incidents of sticker-related tap-to-pay scams.”

“Tap-to-pay technology remains one of the most secure payment options available, using encrypted signals to protect each transaction. At QuikTrip, we’ve gone further by installing Pump Shield security systems at all 1,171 store locations nationwide," the statement continued, per Atlanta News First. "This technology detects unauthorized access attempts and allows pumps to be shut down immediately, enabling our teams to identify and respond to skimming threats within seconds.”

Credit Card Scams to Watch for at Gas Pumps

While tap-to-pay stickers are safe, gas pump skimmers remain a real threat to consumers’ financial information.

Skimmers are small devices that criminals attach to card readers at pumps to capture card data without the customer noticing.

Skimmers are designed to blend in with the point-of-sale hardware. External devices may bulge slightly or wiggle when prodded, while internal skimmers hidden in the pump’s communication lines are much harder to detect.

Credit card skimmers can target both magnetic-stripe and chip-enabled cards, though they primarily read the magnetic strip.

“Use a chip reader on the pump, if it is available,” Chris Hauk, consumer privacy expert at Pixel Privacy, advised. “Even better? Don’t insert your card at all, and tap to pay if you can.”

Skimming costs financial institutions and individuals over $1 billion annually, Reader’s Digest reported.

Here’s how to spot one: