Morgan Hill Police have investigated numerous reports of illegal credit card skimming devices at local ATMs, and are advising the public on how to secure their information when using bank machines.
On Feb. 16, a Morgan Hill Police officer responded to Bank of America, at 200 Cochrane Plaza, to investigate a report of two credit card skimmers, according to MHPD. The skimmers were found inserted into two different ATMs.
Police said a bank employee removed the ATM’s circuit board and inspected the machine. The employee found a small camera embedded under a false cover that was affixed above the ATM keypad.
Over the last two weeks, a total of six credit card skimmers have been located at two Bank of America locations in Morgan Hill, MHPD said in a Feb. 21 social media post. The other bank location is at 101 Vineyard Blvd.
“Before using an ATM or gas pump, check for alignment issues between the card reader and the panel underneath it,” MHPD said in the social media post. “Skimmers are often placed on top of the reader, which causes it to stick out at an angle or cover arrows in a panel. It is a good idea to compare the card reader to neighboring ATMs or gas pumps and look for any differences.”
Police further advised that ATM users can “feel around the (card) reader and try to wiggle it to see if it can easily come out of place.” Legitimate card readers are more solid and robust, and their parts should not easily move around.
MHPD added, “If the buttons on the keypad are too hard to push, cease using that machine and try another machine. Locating cameras may be difficult, as they are often well-concealed and only need an opening the size of a pin hole to successfully focus on the keypad. Having this in mind, we ask that you cover the keypad with your free hand while inputting your pin.”
Police continue to investigate the illegal card skimmers, but no suspects have been identified, according to authorities.
Anyone with information about these investigations can contact MHPD Det. Tony Reis at 669.253.4995 or To*******@***********ca.gov.
