Another suspected case of debit card fraud emerged Monday in Saskatoon after some cardholders found out money was withdrawn from their accounts during the weekend.
“This is a good opportunity for businesses and consumers to be a bit more educated,” said Alyson Edwards, Saskatoon Police Service spokesperson.
“They happen everywhere.”
On Monday morning, Tyler Baptist realized $800 had been withdrawn from his chequing account sometime between Saturday and Sunday. Fraudsters took the maximum withdrawal allowed in one day, and Baptist says he hopes the bank will reimburse him quickly.
“I kind of need that money to pay bills,” he said.
Two other people in line at the police station with him also had money withdrawn from their account this weekend, he said.
Police received more than 20 complaints of fraudulent activity Monday, said Edwards. Reports are still coming in from banks and individual victims.
Investigators say some of the victims were customers of a restaurant in the 100 block of Second Avenue South. It is believed a pin pad was stolen and switched with another in order to record victims’ debit card information.
This reporter was among those who experienced potentially “compromised” debit card security and received a call from a bank Monday morning. The only restaurant in this area where the card was used was The Pita Pit.
Baptist also visited the location this summer.
“They don’t know if it’s happened to our store or not,” said Ashley Elgersma, owner of the Second Avenue restaurant. “It’s obviously horrible. I mean, nobody wants to be victimized whether it be the business owner or the customers.”
Elgersma says the store was contacted by police and will wait to find out if fraudulent activity occurred.
Police are encouraging individuals and businesses to better secure their pin pads. In cases of debit card fraud, suspects disconnect pin pads from the terminals and replace them with another pin pad, which is able to record card information.
Police say businesses should ensure pin pads are kept under the counter when not in use, are labelled or engraved so they can be easily identified and are inspected daily to ensure they has not been tampered with.
In July, police arrested a Quebec man in connection with an automated teller machine fraud in Saskatoon, after hotel employees discovered nearly $100,000 in $20 bills in a room.
Some 600 magnetic stripe debit cards were compromised the same month. Perpetrators used a debit skimming devise to gather information and make and operate counterfeit cards. These cards were then used to withdraw funds from ATMs. At the time of the arrest, Edwards said officers were investigating a travelling fraud ring.
On Monday, three men from Quebec appeared in court in Regina facing fraud and forgery-related charges after a police search turned up items connected with debit-card forgery.
Regina police received a complaint Sunday from a Victoria Avenue East business about the suspicious use of debit cards. Four males attempted to buy large sums of gift cards with multiple debit cards.
Police located and arrested three suspects and executed a search warrant at a hotel, where police found a card reader, laptops, fake debit cards, gift cards and an undisclosed amount of cash.
Most financial institutions are attempting to reduce debit-card fraud through the introduction of chip compliant cards, which are more highly encrypted and more difficult for thieves to replicate.
Meanwhile, Saskatoon police will continue to gather information about the latest incidents.
“It takes a long time to do these investigations,” said Staff Sgt. Al Kopelchuk, the detective in charge of fraud.
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