Debit Card

                  Debit Card fraud is growing in mass proportions across Canada. ATM machines and Point of Sale Terminals are being compromised with “Skimming equipment”. Skimming equipment is unauthorized copying of electronic data from your debit card. Skimming equipment captures both the card number and PIN then fake cards are reproduced. This equipment can include pin-hole cameras, wireless bluetooth technology, portable card readers, etc.
 If you ever have that uneasy feeling making a purchase or withdrawing money, trust your instinct, and go elsewhere. Most, if not all, of the big reputable banking institutions are placing the most advanced security technology on their ATM locations to help prevent this scam. The same cannot be said about private ATM’s.

                   which is another term for either debit card transactions, or Interac seem to be the flavour of the month. Recent news reported that quite a few previously trusted big brand stores, restaurants and gas stations as well as some small independent grocery stores have been targeted by this scam. In most recent cases, the terminals were actually physically compromised with a chip being inserted inside dummy handheld devices. Yes, the whole keypad is switched when the thieves have the opportunity. Either the thieves come back and switch back the original unit to get the information stored on the dummy or they just don't bother if the dummy is setup to send the cardholders number and PIN remotely over a wireless connection using skimming equipment.