The Island County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday warned people to keep an extra eye out for a tricky scam designed to get access to bank accounts.
Scammers insert X-ray film inside an ATM slot in a way that traps a debit card. Thieves then offer to help customers get the card out and in the process obtain their personal identification number. After customers leave, the thieves pull out the X-ray film trap — and the debit card.
Island County detectives haven’t received reports of this scam being used here, but they believe it is just a matter of time, sheriff’s detective Ed Wallace said. “We are trying to educate the public about what to be on the lookout for,” he said.
E-mail scams and those targeting the users of the social networking site Facebook also are picking up, Wallace said.
“With the economy going badly, it’s going to increase,” he said.
If you believe you’ve been a victim of a scam, call 911.
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