HARTSVILLE, SC (WBTW) – On March 6th, Hartsville police officers met with a person that found a card skimmer placed over the card reader slot on a bank ATM machine at Carolina Bank in the 500 block of South Fifth Street.
The person noticed the reader didn’t feel right and the false cover came off when he pulled on it.
Hartsville police officers checked the other ATM machines in town and no other devices were found.
Police are still investigating.
Hartsville police provided some tips for protecting yourself.
Card Skimmers are typically fake covers placed over real card readers to steal banking card numbers at ATM machines, gas pumps, and on other devices that may have card readers.
Skimmers are typically held on with temporary tape, a good tug will often dislodge them. If anything looks out of place or seems loose, seek out another machine and call either law enforcement or inform the bank.
For Debit cards, the criminals need your PIN as well as your card numbers.
Always cover the PIN pad with your hand to lessen the chance someone might capture the PIN with a hidden camera. N
ever write down your PIN, memorize it. Don’t let anyone “help” you with a machine that appears to be not working right.
Check your bank statements regularly. If you report fraud early you can stop further theft and get money back. Keep an eye out for anything that seems unlikely or impossible.
Consider using online banking so you can check your account at any time, but use a unique password that you don’t use anywhere else.
