It was reported last week in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, that 268 bank accounts fell victim to the PIN Pad Scam, a relatively recent development in high tech robbery. That’s just in one week in one city.

The victims - at least initially - are debit card holders. Ultimately, Canadian banks are obliged to cover the losses, which truly makes this a case of bank robbery. Canadian banks were robbed of $95 million in this manner last year alone.

The criminals - they usually work this scam as a team - distract a store clerk in order to switch the store’s Interac PIN pad with their modified lookalike pad. The stores and their customers carry on business as usual, but now the modified Interac pad is transmitting PIN numbers and magnetic code to thieves. The thieves immediately use the information to loot the freshly exposed bank accounts.

Hide your PIN number from wandering eyes? Forget it. You give it to them as soon as you enter the number into the bogus PIN pad. Customers and stores are being asked to check machines constantly, looking for raised screws, missing serial numbers, or any signs of tampering. Like that will do any good.

Store clerks are asked to mark their PIN pads so that a replacement would appear obvious to them. Customers are asked to check their bank statements daily for any signs of illegal withdrawals. So much for any feeling of security that having a PIN number is supposed to give us.

Of course, call your bank immediately if you notice something awry. You might as well call the store, too, so they can take the bogus PIN pad out of commission.

Kind of makes you want to go back to using cash and checks, doesn’t it?

Scrud Kelley

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