Police continue to warn Kansas City credit card users about a growing crime that keeps hitting the metro, one that could steal thousands of dollars out of a bank account without the owners knowledge.
"It's really hard to notice unless you know exactly what to look for," said Overland Park Detective Dennis Reaser.
Groups of criminals who are constantly on the move are using ATMs and gas pump machines to steal your credit card information. They are doing it by putting "skimmers," or fake card readers, over the existing card readers and placing hidden pin hole cameras to capture your pin.
"So when you slide your card, it's going through the bad guys' skimming device and the card reader, which is why it works," said Reaser.
The detective is on a federal task force to try to make a big dent in the growing crime. But the brazen thieves are hard to track because they're constantly on the move, many times already out of the state by the time authorities are aware of the crimes committed.
Reaser said skimmers have been located all throughout the metro, affecting hundreds of people over the last two years.
"The groups have been fairly successful here, so they're coming back," he said.
Once the thieves have your credit card information, they can make a counterfeit card within a matter of days before quickly withdrawing thousands of dollars.
So how do you protect yourself? Police say:
- Pull on the card reader to make sure it's real. A fake one will pop out easily.
- Cover the keypad with your hands in case there is a hidden camera watching you.
- Check your bank statement for suspicious activity often.
Also, Reasing says the banks hold some of the responsibility as well.
"Biggest thing is the banks check their ATMs on a daily basis," he said
------
Josh Helmuth can be reached at josh.helmuth@kshb.com
