NJ Debit Cards are Being Targeted by Sly Thieves

🔺   Burlington Township Police are investigating a fake skimmer

🔺   Skimmers are tiny devices that fit over real skimmer

🔺   Police are looking for suspect in the case

Debit cards have become an indispensable way of life for many of us.

Ask someone for cash, and there's a good chance they won't have any on hand.

Like anything else, the more you use something, the more comfortable you become.

With comfort comes complacency.

We use debit cards and don't give much thought to security.

However, things aren't always as they seem.

On New Year's Day, police say someone installed a skimming device on a credit card reader at a convenience store.

The crime took place sometime around 5 pm at the 7-Eleven on Columbus Road in Burlington Township.

According to police reports, the suspect entered the store and requested some pizza.

As the clerk went to put together the order, the suspect pulled a skimmer from his pocket and installed it on the credit card reader at the counter.

The suspect then left the store.

There was no sign of problems until a customer complained of problems to the store employee.

The employee agreed to check the store's surveillance cameras, and when he saw what happened, he called the police.

If you know this man or have any information about the man in this photo, they ask you to contact Det. O'Farrell at 609-239-4486. 

Police believe the skimmer had been in place for about two hours before being discovered.

According to pcmag.com, the skimmer is a tiny device that installs on top of the real skimmer and can be difficult to detect for those not looking for it.

Not only that, experts say that sometimes scammers even install hidden cameras and steal other personal information from unwitting customers.

Scammers have the capability of cleaning out your account before you know what's happening.

According to forbes.com, here's how you can spot a scam skimmer,

Before using an ATM or gas pump, check for alignment issues between the card reader and the panel underneath it. Skimmers are often placed on top of the actual card reader making it stick out at an odd angle or cover arrows in a panel. Compare the card reader to others at a neighboring ATM or gas pump and look out for any differences.

The person featured in this story should be presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. 

Source:  Burlington Township Police