CRYSTAL, Minn. - Police say the ATM machine at the Crystal TCF Bank may have been compromised with a skimming machine.
Crystal police said they received several reports of debit card fraud in a few hours on Monday. They said initial reports made it appear likely that suspects may have placed a skimming machine on the bank ATM at the Crystal TCF.
Later on Monday, the Crystal Police Department posted on its Facebook page that police believe a skimming device was active on June 8, 9, 28 and 29 at the ATM located at 6800 Bass Lake Road.
Lt. Underthun with Crystal Police says their department is actively investigating with TCF's fraud department.
Police suggest anyone who has withdrawn money from the ATM should check their accounts for fraudulent activity, and contact TCF for further instruction on how to safeguard their accounts.
Jim Nash of the cyber security company FRSecure says we don't hear about credit card skimming as much as we used to, but as this latest case shows, it still happens.
"We all go the ATM regularly right? And I think that's what some of the bad guys are depending on is that we are going to get lazy," Nash says.
The best way to protect your credit card information is to only visit ATMs and gas pumps that are placed in well-lit areas.
"Before you put your card in, try wiggling the card reader. If it moves that's a great indication that there's a skimmer attached to it," Nash explains.
You should also be on the lookout for small cameras near the card reader.
"Those cameras can record you typing in your PIN," Nash says. "You should get in the habit of covering up your hand when you type it in."
Nash also encourages ATM customers to create a separate account that they only use for ATM withdrawals.
"Only keep a small amount of money in that account so that if a breach happens you don't lose all of your money," Nash says.
For more helpful tips, click here.