[StBernard] Debit card skimmers stealing money from accounts, reports say

[Westley Annis]

Debit card skimmers stealing money from accounts, reports say

Published: Wednesday, July 11, 2012, 7:30 PM

 By Times-Picayune Staff 

Since Monday, the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff's Office has received about 25
reports of problems believed to be associated with debit card "skimmers,"
Sheriff James Pohlmann said. Pohlmann added that the problem is not limited
to his parish. By using skimmers, an illegal device attached to a
credit-card reader, people can steal debit card PIN numbers and use that
information to clone new cards.

Each victim was hit for about $500 to $600 withdrawn from their accounts,
Pohlmann said.

"The victim still has their original debit card and won't know anything has
happened until they check their bank statement or try to use the debit card
and find there isn't enough money in the account to cover the purchase,"
Pohlmann said.

Investigators thought the problem was isolated to one service station in the
parish, but complaints have come in from people who said they never used
their cards at that station and a number of banks have been affected as
well, the sheriff's office said. Similar problems have been reported in
nearby parishes, the sheriff said.

"There has been a regional problem here lately, but in fact it is a national
problem in which roving groups seem to traverse the country gathering
people's debit card PIN numbers to use to withdraw money at ATMs," Pohlmann
said.

Victims who report such a theft to a law enforcement agency generally are
reimbursed by their bank.

Investigation by the Sheriff's Office working with other agencies and bank
security officials has found the cloning of debit card PINs in St. Bernard
was used for withdrawals from ATMs in the Orlando, Fla., area, Pohlmann
said.

No arrests have been made.