A machine used to create ATM cards for 樱桃视频Credit Union (SCU) members was stolen last month by what might be an identity theft ring.
SCU general manager Bill Brumpton reported the machine was stolen after hours early last month.
The thief, or thieves, broke into the Downtown SCU branch by breaking a side window. Only two items were taken from the financial institution.
Brumpton said the ATM card-making machine was taken along with a passbook printer sitting right beside the card maker.
"They may have thought that printer was something else," Brumpton said. "There is another part to card issuing that they might have been after."
Brumpton suspects the thief thought the printer was the card activation machine.
When a new card is created for a SCU member the card must be coded with the client's personal identification number (PIN). The process of putting the PIN on the card is done using a separate machine.
"I suspect and the security people suspect it was stolen at the order of one of these rings that do identity theft," Brumpton said.
According to Brumpton, a number of other financial institutions across the Lower Mainland suffered similar thefts the same week the SCU was broken into.
SCU moved quickly to protect its members by finding out which customers were potentially at risk of being impacted by the theft. Brumpton said cards belonging to those members were cancelled and those clients were told they needed to come to the branch for new cards.
Nobody is at risk, Brumpton said.
"The whole identity theft thing is pretty scary," said Brumpton. "There is so much of it going on. It is probably the biggest security risk faced by the banking industry."
Any SCU members concerned about identity theft can talk a SCU employee about the steps clients can take to prevent identity theft.
When the 樱桃视频RCMP was dealing with an identity theft matter recently the local detachment issued an identity theft prevention tip sheet.
The police recommend only carrying a limited number of credit and charge cards and keeping PIN numbers secret. The police also recommend keeping a close eye on all bills and bank statements to make sure they arrive on time and they are accurate. Suspect charges should be questioned.
The RCMP also suggest you be careful about who gets your personal information. Credit card numbers, social insurance numbers, bank balances, calling card numbers and other personal and confidential information should only be given to people known to be using the information for lawful purposes.
