Police are conducting a theft investigation after a skimming device was found on an ATM in Goshen. A St. Joseph County police investigator explains how you can protect yourself when using an ATM.

“Literally within a matter of seconds it can be installed onto a point-of-sale transaction or onto an ATM,” said Mitch Kajzer, the St. Joseph County Cyber Crimes Director.

After police found a skimmer attached to an ATM in Goshen, ST. Joseph County investigators are advising you to be cautious when withdrawing.

“It’s an actual physical device that goes over where you would normally insert your card. So it makes it actually a little bit bigger than what the ATM typically is but not to the point that it’s overly noticeable,” said Kajzer. 

The way it happens:

“When the device is there you insert your card, it appears to function normally in the machine but the device that’s attached captures all the coded information on the magnetic strip of the card,” said Kajzer.

But there are specifics you can look out for.

“Physically look at it, see what it looks like see if anything looks out of place on it. Check to see that it all looks to be original equipment on the atm,” said Kajzer.

If you aren’t’ able to catch a skimmer…

“People should always check their credit card statements, their bank records. I recommend once a week. The sooner you catch something like that the easier it is to fix,” said Kajzer.

For more information on how to recognize skimmers and what to do if you find one, click here. You can also contact the St. Joseph County Cyber Crimes Unit.