If you have used a credit or debit card in Billings, it may be a good time to take a look at your account transactions. A few days ago, the Billings Police Department released a statement on their Facebook page alerting the public that a string of frauds have been taking place this month. BPD believes that the person or persons responsible are using a card skimmer to steal credit card numbers and PIN numbers.
In their statement on 7/9, the BPD say that “since 07/01 the BPD has received about forty-five fraud reports. About nineteen of them were received on 07/08. We believe someone is using a credit card skimmer to clone card info and pin numbers. All of the victims so far were still in possession of their cards despite the transactions.” No suspects have yet been apprehended, but BPD says that their investigations division is actively working the case and as of 7/10 they have identified three potential suspects from Florida who have been recruiting locals to withdraw the money from ATMs so they themselves won’t be caught on camera. The perpetrators have been taking stolen credit and debit card information to create cloned cards, which they then use at gas station ATMs to withdraw low amounts of cash hoping to not have it noticed by the account holder. With only low amounts being taken each charge, many people might just protest the charges with their credit card company instead of reporting it to the police. BPD is asking anyone who notices unauthorized purchases on their cards to make a police report by calling the non-emergency number at (406)657-8200.
Card skimmers work by being physically attached to card readers, with typical ones being able to be placed completely over an existing card reader. When someone swipes or inserts their card at, say, an ATM or gas pump, the skimmer stores their information while still allowing the real card reader to function normally. Many times, a small camera will also be planted nearby, be it in the card reader itself, mounted at the top of an ATM, in the ceiling, or anywhere that can view the keypad in order to steal PIN numbers, but a fake PIN pad can also be installed to capture the PIN without the need to view the numbers being punched in. Some of these devices are relatively easy to spot, they may be a different color or material than the terminal itself and can appear a bit bulky, but the best way to avoid them at places like gas stations is to always pay inside where it is less likely the terminal has been tampered with. As for ATMs and elsewhere, it is suggested that you attempt to shake and move pieces like the card reader because skimmers are designed to be taken off so they will move, unlike the actual ATM which is designed to be extremely resilient and no pieces will fall off. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE
