Grants Pass Police Warn of Debit Card Skimmers Stealing Data from ATMs and Gas Pumps to Fuel Fraud

GRANTS PASS, Ore. — The Grants Pass Police Department issued an alert as fraudulent debit cards are increasingly being used in the region after being skimmed.

A fraudster will put a “skimmer” at the debit card terminal to read the digital information from the card as the victim uses it to make a purchase or withdrawal.

This information is then transferred to a new card by imprinting the data onto the magnetic strip of a dummy card.

The fake card is then used to withdraw cash as if it were the original card. Skimmers are usually camouflaged, making it very difficult to spot them. Even bank ATMs and gas pumps have been targeted with “skimmers,”

Tips from the Grants Pass Police Department to avoid your debit card being skimmed:

• If you encounter a debit card terminal that doesn’t “seem right,” listen to your instincts. Find a different terminal, and report your suspicions to the business.
• If there are ghost withdrawals from your account, get the documents from your bank and call your local law enforcement agency to report the potential fraud and theft.
• LIVE AWARE.