Skimming Credit and Debit Cards at the ATM Machine
It is a fact that crooks are getting smarter and more technologically advanced than they used to. As we move with the times and rely more on technology, crooks are learning how to get around the technology to obtain our information and abscond with our money.
Skimming cards seems to be the most advanced technology to steal credit and debit card information from an unsuspecting victim. An article from Money Central on MSN.com quotes Jay Foley, the executive director of the Identity Theft Resource Center in San Diego, on his own use of ATM's or any payment slot. The first thing he does before sticking in his card is to test the slot with his finger. If any part of the slot wiggles from pressure of his finger, he is suspicious that the ATM has been tampered with and quite possibly has had a skimmer added to the machine. Mr. Foley advises all ATM users or anyone using a payment slot to perform their own test in the same fashion. Thieves are getting more and more information from victims due to these skimmers.
According to an article from kjct8.com, the Grand Junction Police Department announced that they were investigating 40 cases of card skimming in early July. This investigation began in February and so far over $150,000 has been stolen from the 40 victims. After retrieving the valuable information from each card, the crooks made counterfeit cards to make purchases on the victims account. Each transaction average about $2,000.00.
The article from Grand Junction included the following advice to protect you from financial crimes:
- Know where your debit and credit cards are at all times.
- When using your debit or credit card, don't let it out of your sight.
- Keep all transaction records and compare them to your financial statements.
- Immediately report any errors or unauthorized transfers on your statement to your bank or financial institution, as well as local law enforcement.
- Choose a Personal Identification Number (PIN) that is different from your address, phone number, Social Security number, or birth date.
- Do not keep your PIN in your purse or wallet with the card.
- Report lost or stolen checks, credit cards, ATM or debit cards immediately.
- Consider utilizing your financial institution's online account access to be able to view bank statements and transactions anytime online.
- Always log out after Internet banking sessions, particularly if using a shared computer.
Report any incidence of credit or debit card fraud to the Federal Trade Commission's Identity Theft Hotline at 877-ID THEFT (877-438-4338) or online at www.ftc.gov.
As always, BankCard Central is concerned with the growing trend of financial crimes. If you believe that your terminals or pin pads have been tampered with, please contact our Technical Department.
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