Colusa County officials are warning all debit and EBT card holders that SKIMMING devices have been located at several locations, which allows criminals to steal directly from people’s bank accounts.
Skimming occurs when devices illegally installed on ATMs, point-of-sale (POS) terminals, or fuel pumps capture data or record cardholders’ PIN numbers. Criminals then use the data to create fake debit or credit cards to steal from their victims’ accounts, officials said.
The latest skimming device was found Tuesday at the Wells Fargo ATM located in Maxwell.
The device was quickly discovered by a bank technician and has been removed, but it is unknown what customers might be affected.
“Please pay attention to your accounts for any unauthorized activity,” said Chief Investigator Dave Salm, of the Colusa County District Attorney’s Office. “If you see anything suspicious, please alert your bank and law enforcement as soon as possible.”
On Tuesday, Health and Human Resources Director Elizabeth Kelly said a Sav-Mor technician recently discovered a skimming device at the Colusa store that had been used to steal money from Cal-Fresh/Cal-Works recipients who use EBT cards.
“As of last week, we are up to 49 fraud cases for a total of over $40,000 in benefits that were stolen,” Kelly said. “This is a statewide issue and will continue to be a statewide issue because EBT cards do not have chip security and are very susceptible to fraud.”
A similar skimming device was discovered at Sav Mor in Butte County, she said.
Kelly said the California Department of Health and Human Services has no plans to update EBT cards for better security until 2025, and recommended CalFresh/CaWorks recipients to have their benefits deposited into secure bank accounts.
Local theft, however, does not necessarily mean the thieves are local. Large counties in California have been dealing with skimming theft for several years, and Skimmers as far away as Miami were able to tap into Colusa County accounts, Kelly said.
More coverage on Skimming and Scamming will be in next week’s edition of the Colusa County Pioneer Review. ■
