Taking A Look Back At 2008 Around The World
Jan 8, 2009 9:14 pm US/Eastern
Recession Could Increase Risk For ID Theft
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
It's a technique that lifts your bank information and transfers it into the hands of thieves. Authorities say the credit card skimming machines have been around for years, but are reemerging as the economy tumbles.
CBS4 I-Team Producer Gio Benitez recently learned from his bank that someone swiped his account cashing in on his bank information. They grabbed the information from the magnetic stripe on the back of his credit card and snapped up hundreds of dollars.
"The bank called me immediately as soon as they saw these strange charges that racked up some $400," Benitez said. "They called me immediately and said, "We're suspending your credit card until we hear back from you." And I called them and they said, "Someone has duplicated your card."
CBS4 I-Team Investigator Stephen Stock asked a US Secret Service Agent about Benitez's experience.
"How would you know it even happened?" Stock asked. "You wouldn't know," replied Michael Fithen, Special Agent in Charge of the US Secret Service's Miami Field office. Fithen said credit card skimming arrests are up 31 percent in South Florida from 2007 to 2008.
"It's very typical for us to get a case that...might exceed hundreds of thousand dollars," Fithen told the
I-Team. "And when you multiply that by the volume of cases we see here and it is no one's imagination that it exceeds hundreds of millions of dollars."
Because of the large transient population, the crush of tourists and tourist-related businesses, South Florida has become a hotbed for credit card thieves.
"We see those people that are keeping these skimmers and taking advantage of the high volume of credit card transactions to proliferate the fraud," Fithen said.
To prevent theft, the Secret Service and industry experts have issued the following tips:
- Monitor your credit card and bank statement constantly.
- Never let your credit card out of your sight.
- Protect your purse or wallet. One of the leading causes of identity theft is lost or stolen belongings containing personal information.
- Minimize the number of credit cards and other items with personal information printed on them that you carry.
- Guard your PIN when using your debit card.
- Look for suspicious activity, like someone standing behind you at an ATM or other cash dispenser.
- It's standard practice to be asked to display a personal ID as requested by a merchant, but not your mother's maiden name or date of birth.
- Shop smart online. Keep your anti-virus software updated. Shop only at sites that are safe and secure and look for websites that display a closed padlock at the bottom of your browser window.
- Ask for the name of every person who uses your credit card--even waiters and waitresses--so if something goes wrong, you have a name to trace it back to.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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