Authorities in Petaluma have identified several credit and debit card skimming devices at a bank and different 7 Eleven stores, the Petaluma Police Department said on Monday.
Credit and debit card skimmers are devices used to collect cardholder information which can be used to make unauthorized purchases.
According to Petaluma Police, an alert ATM technician working on the ATM machine at the Bank of America on Kentucky Street on Saturday located two skimming devices on the machines, as well as cameras arranged to watch the keypads.
On Monday, PPD was notified of additional skimmer devices at three different 7 Eleven stores located on Howard Street, Perry Lane and D Street.
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All the evidence was collected and is being evaluated for potential investigative leads, police said.
To avoid being "skimmed," police suggest doing a visual and physical inspection of card readers. Look for alignment issues or anything making the card readers stick out at an odd angle. If security seals appear to have been tampered with, avoid using the card reader.
For more information about skimmers, go to www.Forbes.com/advisor/credit-cards/how-to-spot-a-credit-card-skimmer.
