The Lynwood Police Department is asking for help from the public in identifying and locating a suspect who has been spotted installing credit card skimmers in local ATM’s.
One device was found inside the QFC on the 7500 block of 196th St SW in Lynnwood. The device collected data from a victim’s credit card and the information was used. Another device was placed on a Bank of America ATM at 7110 NE Bothell Way in Bothell. No data was collected from this device before it was discovered.
Skimmers are used to collect account information from credit and debit cards that allow the thieves to create their own credit cards or to take funds out of a checking account. The skimmer can read the information on the magnetic strip on the card.
Skimmers often are placed outside of the ATM since it is difficult to place the device inside the machine. Sometimes they can be detected if they are a little loose on the outside of the ATM or if they are not a perfect fit.
A new device has been developed that is called a shimmer. Shimmers are placed inside the card reader and read some data from a chip card. The data cannot be used to create another chip card but can be used on a magnetic strip of a duplicate card. Since shimmers are inserted inside the card reader, they are more difficult to detect.
Lynnwood detectives recommend that you use tap to pay or a service such as Google Wallet or Apple Pay instead of swiping or inserting your card.
Tap to pay is considered more secure because the card sends a very short range encrypted signal to the card reader that cannot be copied.
Here are some other tips to help you avoid your credit/debit card information from being stolen:
·
Look to see if the machine is damaged with scratches,
holes, tape on seams, or bubbles of glue on the machine.
·
Does the ATM look different from any nearby ATM
of the same type.
·
Does the keyboard feel funny. Sometimes thieves
place a membrane over the keyboard to capture PIN’s.
·
Are there any loose parts on the ATM?
·
Use your hand to cover entering your PIN.
Sometimes thieves will also place cameras in the area to capture your PIN.
·
Use an indoor ATM. Thieves like to use ATM’s
that are more isolated from view.
·
Pay attention to your credit card statement and
notify your card provider of any unusual or suspicious transactions.
Below are some photos of the individual that Lynnwood Police
are looking for.
If you know who this person is, please contact Lynnwood
Police at (425) 670-5628 or Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
PC Magazine:
https://www.pcmag.com/explainers/how-to-spot-and-avoid-credit-card-skimmers
https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/is-that-atm-safe-8-tips-to-protect-your-credit-card
US Postal Inspection Service:
https://www.uspis.gov/news/scam-article/smishing-package-tracking-text-scams
Krebs on Security:
PayPal:
https://www.paypal.com/us/brc/article/is-tap-to-pay-safe
Verify:
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