CHARLOTTE, NC — Police say a "sophisticated card skimmer" has been found at an ATM in Hickory.
It happened at the Cashpoints on Highway 70. The skimmer was put inside the card slot of the ATM, making it very hard to detect.
Larry Harris told Channel 9 he found it. He said when he tried to get his card back from the machine, the skimmer came out with it.
"And I looked at it and it was so thin, and I turned it over, and I saw the microchip and wiring. I knew it was a scam," he said.
Most card skimmers will be placed over the card reader and a hidden camera will capture your PIN. But in this case, the skimmer was inserted directly into the machine.
Police say there are ways to protect yourself.
"What you can do is enable your Bluetooth on your cell phone and look for certain codes to see if a skimmer is possibly being used internally," explained Lt Scott Hildebrand with the Hickory Police Department.
If any devices are detected nearby with a long string of letters and/or numbers, this may be an indication that a skimmer is active.
You should also gently pull on the card reader to make sure it's securely attached to the machine. If's it's loose or pulls off, it could be a skimmer.
Police believe at this point the skimmer may have been in the machine for about an hour. They've released surveillance video of the suspects who may have put it there.
Anyone who can help identify them is asked to contact Hickory Police Investigator J. Crapps at (828) 261-2626.
Police are encouraging everyone who used the machine to check bank accounts often for any unusual activity. Bank officials have been notified and any customers whose information may have been compromised will be contacted by their financial institution.