Savvy Portland Shopper Finds ATM Skimmer In 7-Eleven Cash Machine
If you are still blissfully unaware of ATM skimmers, then count yourself lucky. Whilst they are somewhat rare, they can be found in almost any ATM that a criminal chooses to target.
Portland is no more or less likely to attract this kind of menace than any other city in America. But this particular skimmer was found in a 7-Eleven store in the Hawthorne neighbourhood. As you will be able to see from the pictures – the skimmer is made of the same green plastic as the real ATM so just by the naked eye you cannot really tell what’s going on.
On the back of the skimmer shows a small circuit relay which is clearly taking card details and then either storing them to be picked up later, or perhaps more likely, transmitting them in real time via 5G.
This should be a stark warning to anyone getting cash out of machines on a regular basis. Since if a store manager has no idea that their machine is being manipulated, then it would be almost impossible for someone to know if they’re going to use the machine for 30 seconds in their lunch break.
Here are some tips to help you spot and avoid ATM skimmers:
- Inspect the ATM before using it: Before inserting your card, take a close look at the card slot, keypad, and any other areas where you enter your personal information. If anything looks unusual, such as a loose or protruding part, or a misaligned keypad, it could be a sign that a skimming device has been installed.
- Cover your PIN: When entering your PIN, use your hand or a piece of paper to cover the keypad so that no one can see what you’re typing. This can help protect your PIN from being stolen by hidden cameras or other surveillance devices.
- Use ATMs in well-lit areas: ATMs that are located in dimly-lit or secluded areas are more likely to be targeted by criminals. Try to use ATMs that are located in well-lit, high-traffic areas where there is less risk of being targeted by skimmers.
- Choose ATMs that are protected by security cameras: ATMs that are monitored by security cameras are less likely to be targeted by criminals because they are more likely to be caught in the act.
- Monitor your accounts regularly: Keep an eye on your bank accounts and credit card statements regularly to make sure that there are no unauthorized transactions. If you notice any suspicious activity, contact your bank or credit card issuer right away.
The 711 on holgate and Foster was also used and I got 384.95 skimmed off of my chime card along with a bunch of people in the area! So far chime has done nothing to help me retrieve my money! I have bills to pay and I’m very upset…
I’m sorry that you and the other people are having to deal with this kind of crime and I’m praying that Chime does the right thing by reimbursing your money. And thank you for bringing it to our attention that Chime isn’t doing what they should do if you are one of their customers, now know not to use that company. I had the same type of problem but it didn’t involve skimming. What happened to me was that someone ended up getting ahold of my Chase bankcard and I still don’t have any idea how they also get my pin number. At the time I only had about $10 in my account but that didn’t matter much because I guess after the people tried to use my card and it told them that I had insufficient funds they just took 1 of the deposit envelopes and acted like they deposited a check or whenever and then they were able to withdraw $300. I tried to fight Chase and they wouldn’t do anything except do some kind of investigation. I asked if I could look at the video to see if I knew the person who did this and they flat out told me that I couldn’t look at it and even if I knew the person that I might still lie about it because I had them steal money from my account. I for one don’t know anyone who would choose to take money they don’t even have in their account because I wouldn’t want to take a chance on going to jail for fraud or theft of funds just for a couple hundred dollars. It just wouldn’t be worth it to me. Needless to say I am still on the hook for the $300 + another $25 overdraft fee. I had that business account for over 7 years and now because they wouldn’t do anything about finding and prosecuting the criminal u cannot get another bank account and it has been 5 years since this happened, and unless I pay that money back that I didn’t even get to spend I’m no longer able to get any kind of bank account. I don’t trust t hem now anyway after they screwed me over. Good luck to you and I hope that you have a lot better outcome than I did. Prayers for you and the other victims.
I strongly suspect that there is or was a skimmer on the 711 ATM innGresham because somehow my OnPoint account was gotten into twice with over $500 stolen and both times I had my card in my possesion when the theft occured. OnPoint is treating me like a criminal so I left their awful bank afyer being a loyal customer with no issues for 7 years and twice since December of 22′ this has happened. I often used the ATM at 711 near my home as it is free to use for credit union members. Never again. In fact I will be down there today to check. They also got into my 18 year old daughters account & OnPoint dis nothing to help her but said she is not allowed a debit card because shes a liability. She had $100 stolen. Each time they stole from our account they used an OnPoint ATM, so they can look at the camera and see it was not one of us. I hate that people are doing this. We are all working hard to make ends meet and some criminal takes our hard earned money and notnjust that, destroys our reputations and relationships with our financial institutions. There are huge long-lasting effects from this type of crime.