Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office deputies probe a suspected ATM card skimmer

The Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) reported this week its detectives are investigating a suspected ATM card skimmer at the Connection Credit Union in Silverdale.

Deputies responded to the credit union at 10200 Silverdale Way NW when a branch employee called 911 to report fraudulent activity reported by a customer, according to social media posts on X and Facebook. The KCSO deputies determined someone or a group of people tampered with the ATM at the branch.

An examination of still videos the ATM captured showed “two or three different subjects in full clothing, beanies, and masks placing a possible skimming device on the walk-up ATM several times over a 19-day period,” the online posts state.

Each time, the people collecting data with the device arrived and walked away coming and going to the south of the credit union’s property. From there, it was determined a subject on a scooter arrived from the north and left to the south. KCSO detectives don’t know at this time how many debit card numbers were taken. Deputies did not identify any transactions made by the subjects.

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What are card skimmers?

Card skimmers are tiny, malicious devices hidden within legitimate card readers, the KCSO explained in its social media posts.

“They harvest data from every person who swipes their cards by reading the magnetic strip on the card and storing the card number. They can create a copy of your card and capture your PIN if it’s an ATM card,” the posts added.

The FBI reports in an article on its website that ATM skimmer devices are inserted in the card reader or installed in another area within the terminal. Some skimmer devices may fit over the terminal’s card reader or be situated along exposed cables at freestanding ATMs such as the machines found at convenience stores.

Pinhole cameras installed on or around ATMs record a customer’s PIN entry. Some scammers noted that keylogging keypad overlays can be used instead of pinhole cameras to records PINs as well. Those overlays record a customer’s keystrokes.

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Tips to protect yourself from a card skimmer

The FBI article suggests a number of tips for consumers to protect themselves from card skimmers and scams. The agency starts by suggesting to people that they  inspect ATMs and other card readers before using them. Specifically, they should look for anything loose, crooked, damaged or scratched. From there, consumers shouldn’t use any card reader if anything unusual is discovered.

Also, consumers should pull at the edges of the keypad before entering their PIN. After that, customers should cover the ATM keypad as fully as possible when entering their PIN to prevent cameras from recording entries. In addition, it is worth considering that a pinhole camera may be there anywhere on or around the cash terminal.

Another tip from the FBI: If possible, customers should use ATMs in a well-lit, indoor location rather than one that’s outside. The machines inside may still be compromised, but they are not as vulnerable.

Going further, people who need use ATMs in tourist areas should be especially alert for possible skimming devices since those areas are popular targets, the FBI said.

And for those consumers who still don’t have debit and credit cards with chip technology, another reason to make that move is there are fewer devices in the U.S. that steal chip data than magnetic strip data.

The KCSO completed its statement by advising customers who believe their information was compromised to contact their bank or credit union. In addition, people should report any fraudulent activity by calling 911.

Steve Coogan is the lead editor of MyNorthwest. You can read more of his stories here. Follow Steve on X, or email him here.