The last thing you want to deal with is someone stealing your identity and taking money out of your accounts. The Boise Police posted on their Facebook page this afternoon about finding credit card skimmers in our area.

Here is what they said:

Boise Police are reminding citizens to be diligent about checking their debit card statements. We have recently received information about several card skimmers showing up on local banking institutions ATM machines around Boise.

What is a Credit Card Skimmer? A credit card skimmer is a device designed to steal your financial data when you’re accessing it either at a point of sale, such as at a gas station pump, or an ATM machine.

When you insert your debit or credit card into a cash machine, for example, a reader on the inside of the machine interprets the information on your card’s magnetic strip and that, coupled with the PIN you type into the keypad, gives you access to the money in your bank accounts. If you put your card into a machine that has a skimmer device on it, the skimmer also has a reader in it that records the information on your card’s magnetic strip. A second element of a skimmer is able to record your PIN, thus giving the criminal access to funds in that account.

In the most recent cases, thieves placed similar looking skimmers on ATM machines. That means consumers using the machines would likely never notice the device and would only find out they've been victimized by checking their financial statements or being alerted by their financial institution of suspicious charges.

Advice to Consumers: Check Your Financial Statements: As always, officers advise credit and debit card users to carefully inspect transaction statements and report any fraudulent charges to their financial institution and to local police. Local police agencies work closely with the US Secret Service to track and investigate these types of crimes since they often cross local jurisdictional, even state or international boundaries. If you see a charge you know you didn't make, you should call your bank or financial institution and the local police department right away.

Advice to Business Owners: Officers ask business owners and managers with electronic card readers to regularly and carefully check their equipment. The skimmers that have been found recently are very small and would not be easily noticed. Please take a good look at your equipment and look for anything that appears to be out of place or different from your machines.

Call 911 if: Detectives believe the thieves are able to install the skimmers quickly but must spend some time at the machine to dis-assemble it to some degree. Many of the suspects found responsible for these types of crimes are not local, but travel to different locations installing the skimmers then return some time later to retrieve them. Anyone who sees suspicious activity near a gas pump or ATM should call 911 immediately.

How to Avoid Being Skimmed

- Inspect the ATM, gas pump, or credit card reader before using it…be suspicious if you see anything loose, crooked, or damaged, or if you notice scratches or adhesive/tape residue. You can wiggle the card insert location as well to make sure nothing comes apart.

- When entering your PIN, block the keypad with your other hand to prevent possible hidden cameras from recording your number.

- If possible, use an ATM at an inside location (less access for criminals to install skimmers).

- Be careful of ATMs in tourist areas, rural areas or standalone ATMs…they are a popular target of skimmers.

- If your card isn’t returned after the transaction or after hitting “cancel,” immediately contact the financial institution that issued the card.

-Look for suspicious vehicles near the ATM or for people hovering nearby watching over the skimming device.

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