Consumers are being advised to use the tap feature on their credit or debit cards when making a purchase after a Coquitlam business discovered a new method fraudsters are using to scam banking information from shoppers.
According to a Coquitlam RCMP press release, on Jan. 11, staff were conducting routine checks of point-of-sale terminals when one test card remained stuck inside the machine.
When the terminals were opened, they contained four very slim, plastic card "shimmers" that contained microchips meant to illegally capture the banking data on shoppers' debit and credit cards. The stolen data can be used to create fake credit or debit cards.
Coquitlam RCMP's Economic Crime Unit (ECU) said the new, tiny shimmers make the old bulky overlay systems — known as "skimmers" — almost obsolete and that they're "starting to pop up everywhere."
"You can't see a shimmer from the outside like the old skimmer versions," said Const. Alex Bojic in a release. "Businesses and consumers should immediately report anything abnormal about the way their card is acting" — particularly if the card is sticking inside the machine.
Consumers are advised to use the tap feature on their cards because it transfers only a very limited amount of banking information and it can't be used to clone a card.
The ECU is urging all businesses to call police immediately whenever they find a shimming device, noting multiple frauds can be linked over time and the evidence from each point-of-sale fraud can be crucial. Any business that discovers a shimmer is asked to call police immediately at 604-945-1550 or 911 if the crime is in progress.
No suspects have been arrested yet in Coquitlam but the investigation is ongoing.
spayne@tricitynews.com
@spayneTC
