From the El Paso Police Department:
The El Paso Police Department has received an alarming number of credit/debit card abuse cases during the month of April 2011.
During this month the city has received a total of 68 reports related to these types of crimes. During the month of April 2010 a total of 47 cases were reported throughout the city.
So far this month the Pebble Hills Region has received 41 reports while in April 2010 they only received 22 cases. This is a significant increase of 86% compared to last year.
Investigators believe the art of “skimming” may be a factor in these cases as many of the victims report still having their credit/debit card in their possession. “Skimming” occurs when a person gets control of your card and is able to “swipe” the card on a device that is easily concealable and stores the information which is retrieved later.
A prime location for this to occur is at restaurants or businesses where the employee takes your card out of your line of sight and performs the “skimming” prior to returning your card to you. The person would likely not realize they have been victimized until a much later time.
El Pasoans should take care and be selective when handing over their credit/debit cards to any person. Police also urge citizens to carefully review bank/credit card statements and reconcile any discrepancies
That's frustrating news. What are the steps that the police are taking to handle this kind of crime? Credit card owners should also be aware of this crime and know how to be more cautious about it.
Posted by: Reid | 04/29/2011 at 10:07 AM