Credit/Debit Card Skimming in Colorado Springs (Boulder, Grand Junction: car registration, insurance)

[Terytee]

Just wanted to post a friendly warning to the regular readers and posters...my neighbors.... on the forum.

I received a phone call from my credit union this morning advising me that a questionable charge had been posted to my account using my debit card. It seems that someone charged $526 dollars at a Safeway grocery store in Boulder! My card has never been stolen...it's in my possession and has been the whole time. I never go to Boulder for anything.

Well, I was shocked, to say the least. The credit union rep immediately canceled my debit card over the phone and told me it was no longer useable.
I was able to walk-in to a local branch today to get a different debit card with a new pin immediately.

The CU manager I spoke to said it wouldn't be a problem, since they notified me of the charge in the first place. Since they were vigilant, they caught the suspicious charge immediately, but chances are, the amount charged will be deducted from my account anyway, then I file a dispute and they refund the amount.

Needless to say, it's quite unsettling.

I did a simple Google search and came across several articles noting a rash of debit card skimming in Colorado Springs since this past August. I had no idea!! Of course, this could happen anywhere, but it's been particularly bad here in COS over the past couple of months! In these scenarios, small card swipe devices (fake) are sometimes placed directly on top of the regular card reader at gas pumps, so when you swipe your card, you've just given a criminal your card number and pin. They then put it onto a blank card and there it is. The hardware needed to pull this scam off can be bought online easily.

I mostly use my debit card is at gas stations and stores like Target or King Soopers. Be very leery of using your debit card at local gas stations. That's the only thing I can think of that may have been where my info was skimmed. It could have also been one of those fly-by night Halloween stores this past season! Also be careful with private ATMs inside convenience stores.

Use well populated gas stations with a lot visibility. Tug on the card reader before you swipe your card, if it comes off in your hand, it could be a fake reader. If the card reader looks tampered with or different than the others, don't use it. Cover the keypad with your hand before you enter your pin, or use the credit function instead of debit. Use cash instead of a card. Check your online account status very often for suspicious activity!

City of Colorado Springs - Help Identify a Person of Interest in Skimming Fraud Cases

[Carrera32]

TeryTee- thanks for the tip. Having just arrived in town a few weeks ago, we're using our cards a lot more than usual, and probably will til we get fully settled. We'll definitely be careful. Thanks again.

[captain_hug99]

I didn't realize it was getting to be such a problem here. I hardly ever use my debit card, and I always look at the card readers, if it looks suspicious I won't use it. My biggest fear is usually restaurants because the waitstaff could have a hand held skimmer.

[hollyt00]

Thank you for sharing!

[viewpointihave]

In 2008 there were a lot and I do mean a lot of this type of crime happening in the San Jose CA area and I was one of the thousands of victims and this is what I had learned. Since Safeway is headquartered in Walnut Creek, California they and other food stores are hacked into their systems on a regular basis. Arco Gas Stations (this is the place that took my ID) only offer debit and does not offer credit option I used this station and I know that there was NO device over the stations card reader device and I feel that it was a inside job, due to the workers that acted suspicious when we returned to fill up a 2nd time (we were moving and it was midnight when we needed gas) the FBI was involved and it was a ring of people that originated from Mexico that did a string of ID theft that spanned from Sacramento to San Diego CA and it sounds like it is hitting Colorado Springs. To protect yourself you will need to go to gas stations that offer you the choice of credit and never use your debit. You will need to go to these gas companies and request that they offer the credit. When you use your credit of your debit card the system needs your signature, without it the purchase is voided and cannot be debited from your account, so when you go shopping use credit only if you need money go to your bank and get it. by doing so the people at my credit union knows me and that relationship is so critical because they know where I shop, when I'm going on vacation, what my habits are and from that they could tell what is out of the norm for me and notify me when they see something is not right.
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[Terytee]

Well, I thought I'd share an update to my case. A fraud investigator from my bank called yesterday afternoon and asked alot of questions about how and where I use my debit card. The investigator asked if I knew anyone in Boulder or if I had let anyone use my card or would have access to my info. Absolutely not! I'm single, so I'm the only person on my account and I only have 1 debit card.

She also asked if I had any ideas where my debit card may have been compromised. I only use 1 ATM regularly and it's in the lobby of my office bldg and there are security guards in the lobby 24hrs a day. Don't think that's a problem.

I also use it at regular chain department stores and on Peterson AFB. Don't think those are it either. I think it can only be from gas station readers. I use the same 4-5 gas stations in town during my normal week. Some of them are open 24hrs, but 1 isnt. Could potentially have been tampered with after dark, after hours.

The investigator also asked if I had filed a police report.
***It is important to file a police report and you can do that online on the CSPD web site.*** I had submitted a report online, on Saturday afternoon after getting the initial call on Saturday morning. The report was approved and accepted on Sunday and I got an e-mail with a case number. The CSPD hasn't contacted me though.

It was very important that I had done that and the investigator was amazed that I had already done it. I suppose it says something about credibility...dunno.

The investigator also advised that apparently, after the CU rep deactivated my card, it was attempted at 2 other locations in Boulder within 20 mins of the first use.

It was used at an ATM at a Walgreens and at a Shell station...all in Boulder and within minutes. If they had been successful, I would be looking at almost $1000 in charges!! Since my card had been deactivated, they had no luck after that....bastards!!! She said it was kind of unusual that my card info was compromised and used in the same state. Typically, the thief that steals the card info, sells it to someone else for cash and they use the info....out of state. She said most their cases involved info being stolen in CO and used in CA. My hope is since they know exactly where and when the card was used, survellance camera footage at the gas station and the ATM would give them at least a face of the criminal and then they would be able to track this person down.....bastards!!!

I give absolute "credit" to my Credit Union because they caught it and acted quickly. I now love my bank!!!

The investigator took my case number over the phone, (I'm pretty sure she believed me), and completed an affadavit and e-mailed it to my local branch. I went there after work, told them who I was and the customer service rep printed the affadavit for me to sign. It should take a week or so for them to credit my account with the $526 I lost. It's been very easy working with my bank and I can't say enough about banking locally!!
It makes this kind of thing so much easier as the chain is here in town. I'm not dealing with someone on the East coast and can get things done quickly.

I also called the credit bureaus. There are automated 1-800 numbers that anyone can call and put a 90 day alert on your credit. No one can open any credit accounts, cards, etc, without my permission. Hopefully, this is a one time deal. I'm still amazed that this happened. I'm very careful about this sort of thing. I shred everything with my name and address on it. I shred receipts, bills, etc. and thought I had a handle on this sort of thing...well, this woke me up and I hope it will help anyone reading this. I cannot stress enough that this is a very common crime now. It's everywhere! I got lucky.
Be vigilant!!

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news...34/detail.html

Card Skimmer Discovered At Chase Bank In Manhattan (http://www.devicedaily.com/misc/card-skimmer-discovered-at-chase-bank-in-manhattan.html - broken link)

[Marcy1210]

I have heard that ATM's in the lobbies of banks and CU's are also the most vulnerable as they're rarely checked on the assumption they are safe, and that gas stations are the worse. College campuses, high traffic areas, grocery store ATM's and even the checkout readers can be vulnerable. Also, use cash everytime you use a restaurant, even McDonald's, use a gas card, an insured FDIC card with a small credit line and be vigiliant about the removable readers. Never carry your PIN or your SS# in your wallet; leave them in a locked safe at home or a safe deposit box at a bank. Another trick my dad taught me was to always carry the insurance card and registration to your vehicle in your wallet (there are usually two copies and you can get more if needed), so that if your car is stolen and reported, if the cops stop it, the thieves won't be able to produce registration or insurance. Just ideas...

[Mike from back east]

Another tidbit....when I park at an airport for a trip, I take the car registration, insurance card AND garage door opener with me in my briefcase. If my car is stolen, there's nothing in there with my address on it, which prevents them from robbing my house.

[Bob from down south]

When I park at the airport, I leave a fake registration in my car with Mike's name and address on it.

[CosmicWizard]

My credit card has been locked twice in the past 6 months due to suspected fraudulent charges. Upon calling the companies fraud line, it was determined that the suspected fraudulent charges were indeed fraudulent, so they were not charged to my account. They had to retire the card number and issue a new number. Just 2 day ago I received a package from the Disney movie club which was one of the fraudulent charges. Not only did the scammers have my cc # but also my address. Both times, the last legitimate charge on my card was at a gas station in Grand Junction. I may start paying for gas with cold hard cash. I just did that the other day because my new card has not yet arrived. In fact, I may go back to using cold hard cash for just about all of my purchases, except for the online purchases.

In addition to skimmers, with only 16 digits, and some of them being the same on many cards, it must not be too hard to simply guess a valid number by trial and error. The rip off artists have alot of time on their hands to methodically try all of the available combinations until they hit paydirt.