BY HEIDI ULRICHSEN
Some Royal Bank customers who used ATM machines at the bank's Lasalle Blvd. branch last week had their accounts depleted by “skimmers.”
The bank will fully reimburse any customers who had their money stolen, said Liz Redston, Royal Bank's manager of corporate communications for Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario.
The customers were called into the bank and told about the problem when officials noticed unusual activity in their accounts.
Redston won't say how many customers were affected by the problem.
“Skimming is the act of stealing or illegally obtaining data that is held on the magnetic stripe of the card,” she said.
“When the card is swiped or placed into the ATM machine, there is some kind of a device that has been placed on the machine, and it captures the data. There's usually a secondary piece or a pinhole camera that has been placed on or near (the machine), and that is used to observe the entering of the PIN.
“With those two pieces of information, people are able to retrieve the data and fraudulently access funds from the client's account.”
If you look carefully at ATMs where criminals are trying to steal money, there's another piece of plastic placed over top of the lip where the card goes in, she says.
“If there's anything that looks like it's loose or attached where you're placing your card, certainly people should not use that machine and they should give our 1-800 number a call right away and advise us of the situation.”
The best way to protect yourself from skimmers is to always be aware of your bank transactions, she says. Look at your account activity on the Internet, review your bank statements or go to the bank branch, said Redston.
“You also need to protect your PIN when your entering it in a point of sale purchase at a store by shielding it with your hand. You should do the same thing at ATMs.”
Royal Bank is currently rolling out anti-skimming devices across the country, she said.
“They change where the card is entered in the machine and inhibit the use of the skimming device.”
The Interac Association gives this advice to prevent debit card fraud:
* Use your hand or body to shield your PIN when you are conducting transactions at an Automated Banking Machine or at the checkout.
* Keep your banking card in sight when conducting transactions at the checkout.
* Check your banking statements regularly and contact financial institutions immediately if you detect any unusual activity, e.g. purchases you did not make or missing charges.
* If your debit card is lost, stolen or retained by an ABM, notify your financial institution immediately.
* Memorize your PIN. Only you should know your PIN. If you suspect that someone knows your PIN, even a friend or family member, change it immediately.
* When selecting your PIN, never use obvious information such as your telephone number, date of birth, address or social insurance number. These numbers are often stored in the same place as your banking card, enabling criminals to easily guess your PIN.
