Identity theft and credit card fraud are on the rise in metro Detroit with a growing number of credit card skimmers being found in the area.
This comes after police in Dearborn, Garden City and Canton Township are asking for help identifying a man who they say is installing skimmers.
He's been working with at least one other man, but police won't say where the skimmers were installed.
In 2016, there was a statewide blitz against credit card skimmers that resulted in dozens of skimmers being found across Michigan.
In metro Detroit, there were skimmers found in Chelsea, Birmingham, Roseville, Rochester Hills, Detroit, Livonia, Dearborn, Howell, Westland, Wixom, Belleville, New Hudson and Ann Arbor.
Other cities in 2016 that had skimmers installed were Madison Heights, Royal Oak and Melvindale. In all, nearly 50 skimmers had been found in the area as of October 2016.
Here's how you can protect yourself from credit card skimmers:
- Make sure to check that everything is flush against the pump or ATM. Try to wiggle it, as a skimmer is installed in the front and could be extended out of the credit card area.
- Check your transactions often. If you see one that's not yours, call right away.
- Use gas pumps that are seen by attendants or closer to the store. Skimmers usually tamper with outer pumps.
- Cover the keypad when entering your personal information. Cameras installed could pick it up if not covered.
