Safeway is conducting an investigation after learning that some of their stores were victimized by crooks using credit card skimming devices. Credit card terminals at checkout lanes in various Safeway stores in California and Colorado were compromised. It appears that the skimming operation was discovered at locations in Denver, Arvada, Englewood, Conifer, and Lakewood Safeway stores in Colorado and similar attacks were conducted in a few California stores as well.
Skimmers are designed to look like part of credit card reader machines and are used by crooks to record PIN entries which capture card data such as account and pin numbers. With the stolen information, thieves can reprint the information onto other cards and use them at ATMs and other places. The attacks were discovered by banking sources that were investigating why so many customers in specific areas in Colorado had their debit accounts drained at ATMs after shopping at Safeway stores.
These occurrences are becoming more commonplace and will probably continue as businesses transition to chip-based credit and debit cards. In the meantime, some useful tips to keep in mind include:
- Become familiar with what a card skimmer looks like and inspect the card reader as well as the area near the PIN pad. There are many examples of card skimmers online that you can view so you have an idea of what to look for. Compare the card reader you are about to use to the surrounding ones to see if the setup is different.
- Most skimming devices can be found affixed to the ATM or gas pump so they can be easily retrieved by the crooks once they’ve collected data, so be careful where you use your card. If you are paying at the pump for gas avoid entering your PIN and select the “credit” option instead.
- Watch your accounts. Keeping an eye on your balance will help you identify fraudulent or suspicious account activity. Most financial institutions allow for mobile alerts that you can activate so you are notified of transactions.
We live in a world where security/data breaches and identity theft are becoming the norm. BCA has informational guides and blogs with tips on how to keep your information safe and advice on dealing with identity theft.
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Business Consumer Alliance (BCA) is a non-profit company that started in 1928. The broad purpose of BCA is to promote business self-regulation. BCA's mission is achieved by assisting consumers in resolving complaints with businesses and using that complaint information, along with other relevant information such as customer reviews, to forecast business reliability. With community support, BCA can identify trustworthy and ethical businesses and warn the public to avoid unscrupulous businesses whose purpose is to defraud the marketplace. BCA also helps businesses promote themselves by providing services and tools to protect their business and reach out to their customers. BCA obtains its funding from member businesses who support the mission and purpose of the organization and who agree to abide by high standards of ethical business practices.