scanning to avoid skim scamming

From Sunday's C-J, another cool story on technological advance: the use of devices in restaurants so you can scan your credit card at the table instead of handing it over to server. The chief concern: a common scam called "skimming" where credit card info is recorded by servers and used for nefarious purposes.

It has become routine for customers to swipe their credit or debit cards at consoles in fast-food joints, gas stations and grocery stores. So why do we still willingly hand over our plastic at sit-down restaurants?

Pay-at-the-table systems are popular in Europe and in other parts of the world, but they have not yet caught on in the United States -- largely because the equipment makers have not been able to point to a reason why restaurateurs should invest in the gear. Manufacturers now see an opportunity.

A rise in the number of "skimming" scams in which servers use hand-held computers to quietly record customers' credit-card information and sell it is creating a sense of urgency.

So is an increased push by managers to speed the flow of diners during peak hours...

Some studies suggest as much as 70 percent of all cases of credit-card skimming stem from restaurant scams.