People who use ATMs in the Charlotte area are being advised to be careful as skimming is on the rise. | Stock Photo
People who use ATMs in the Charlotte area are being advised to be careful as skimming is on the rise. | Stock Photo
The Charlotte area is dealing with a recent spate of card skimming incidents at ATMs across the area, leading to a plea for the public to get involved if they notice any problems.
"If it's difficult to insert [the card] or if [the reader] moves at all, tell the store manager, tell the clerk that something doesn't seem right,” Tom Bartholomy, spokesperson of Better Business Bureau, advised in a WCNC report.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police have shared multiple photos of the suspects on Twitter and elsewhere. Police are urging anyone who uses an ATM to be careful about inserting their card into a machine.
Skimmers are small devices that are used to steal card information from users so their money can be accessed by thieves.
Bartholomy recommended that people use ATMs at banks, instead of those at convenience stores, because they're checked regularly. If you need to use one elsewhere, he said to insert the card slightly, then move it side-to-side, wiggling the device to ensure it's not a fake. Bartholomy said other ways to avoid becoming a skimming victim include using the "tap to pay" option or virtual payment options like Apple Pay.
Bartholomy said to alert the store where it may have happened, call police and the bank where the card was issued if you think you have become a skimming victim.
"Not every merchant, unfortunately, has switched over to just the chip technology to accept just chip cards,” he said. “Until that's done, we're going to be at risk.”
If you have any information about the suspects, call CMPD's Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600.
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