KING COUNTY, Wash. — Deputies are investigating after thieves targeted several ATMs by attaching skimming devices at credit unions in Shoreline and Woodinville.
The King County Sheriff’s Office said they investigated three incidents in the last four days.
The devices were “cleverly” installed and discovered only by those servicing the machines, making them nearly impossible to spot, according to the sheriff’s office.
Law enforcement said “skimmers, concealed somewhere in the ATM, act like a silent thief and steal the 16 digits of your credit or debit card. A nearby camera or other device captures your PIN. When thieves combine these two pieces of information they have an electronic key to your cash.”
In order to protect yourself, deputies advised citizens, when using an ATM, to be mindful of keypads that may appear crooked or poorly installed.
They said to look for signs of tampering on an ATM’s face and to cover your hand while entering your PIN to prevent a remote camera from capturing your card’s 16 digits and to consider using an online or mobile banking tool to get alerts about suspicious activity.
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