PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Someone falls victim to identity fraud every two seconds, according to a recent study, and often, it’s without the victim’s knowledge.
Cassandra Tang, who lives in New York City, found that a card that was still in her wallet had been used to take out $200 at an ATM she’d never been to.
“We use our credit cards or debit cards or whatever every day,” she said. “And it’s scary to know that my card could be compromised.”
Her credit card company said she probably fell victim to card skimming – thieves stole her information as she swiped her card, then made a copy, complete with a new PIN number.
This is not uncommon now, according to Scott Schober, Cyber Security Expert and CEO at Berkeley Varitronics Systems. Thieves can take the personal information on your card just by swiping, which can wind up on the “dark net,” the underbelly of the Internet.
There is something new that card companies are moving towards: “chip and PIN” technology. Cards have a more secure chip, which, combined with a PIN number, makes them harder to skim. Many European countries put that in place years ago to combat fraud, Schober said, and it’s working, but the U.S. is years behind.
“It’s not just a little bit behind. It’s embarrassingly behind,” he said.
Even though credit card companies are moving to chip cards this year, most retailers still need to buy the machines to make them work.
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