Oakwood Police and some financial institutions in Vermilion County are warning area residents that a skimming device is being used to illegally obtain debit card information. Danville Police are investigating several reports where a debit card was compromised from local financial institutions. They suspect a card skimming device is being used.
A skimmer is a device which is illegally attached to card reading sites…such as where you swipe your card at gas stations. The device is attached to the real payment terminal so the thief can harvest data as individuals swipe their card. Police say the skimming device does not prevent the ATM or card reading terminal from functioning properly.
Police say check the card sweeping terminal for obvious signs of tampering. If something looks different….such as a different color of material, graphics that aren’t aligned correctly, or anything that does not look right, do not use that terminal.
And since criminals cannot use your personal information from stolen magnetic stripe data unless they have your pin number, police say be careful entering your pin. Place your hand over the numbers so a camera that might be nearby cannot see the numbers you are entering.
If you suspect something does not seem right with a card reading site…call the police. Or notify your financial institution.
