Recently, several financial institutions in the Tallahassee area have reported finding skimming devices on some of their ATMs. Regardless of where you live, it is important to understand what skimming is and how to protect yourself from it.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), skimming occurs when devices illegally installed on or outside ATMs, point-of-sale (POS) terminals, or fuel pumps capture card data and record cardholders’ PIN entries. Criminals use the collected data to create fake payment cards and then make unauthorized purchases or steal from victims’ accounts.

The attached United States Secret Service (USSS) flyer includes advice on mitigation and prevention for individual cardholders as follows:

“Immediately contact the card issuer’s fraud department to report the incident, ask that the card be deactivated, and ask that a new card be issued with a new PIN. Monitor the affected account closely. If you suffered a financial loss as a result of the skimming incident, consider filing a fraud affidavit with the card issuer and contacting your local law enforcement agency to report the incident. In the future, consider making purchases using cards which can transact through contactless payment (i.e., tap-to-pay) or with the card’s new EMV chip, instead of the magnetic strip.”

Please see the links below from the USSS and FBI, which provide useful information about skimming, the various types of skimming scams, and tips on how to protect yourself.

https://www.secretservice.gov/investigations/skimming

https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/scams-and-safety/common-frauds-and-scams/skimming