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A felony for skimming

Published (2/11/2010)
By Mike Cook
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Going to a restaurant, grabbing a drink at Happy Hour or even getting cash at the local ATM could make people more vulnerable to identity theft.

Because technology changes, so must the criminal code.

Sponsored by Rep. Debra Hilstrom (DFL-Brooklyn Center), HF2470 would make it a felony for someone to use a scanning device or reencoder to acquire information from payment cards, a driver’s license or state-issued identification card with intent to commit a crime.

“This is getting to be a very serious issue. … We need to allow folks to prosecute for having this material,” she said.

Approved Feb. 9 by the House Public Safety Policy and Oversight Committee, the bill was referred to the House Finance Committee. A companion, SF2493, sponsored by Sen. Mee Moua (DFL-St. Paul), awaits action by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

“Skimmers are devices that record credit card information off the magnetic strip on the card,” said Assistant Attorney General Al Zdrazil. “What makes them particularly insidious is that they are very small. A handheld skimmer is about the size of a Bic lighter, so it is very easy for somebody who is working in the food or hospitality industry to palm one, and even while they are talking to you at the table they can simply run the strip through the skimmer and you’re not even aware of it.”

Another common device gets someone’s information at a cash machine.

“It is designed to look exactly like the outlet of the ATM, except it’s now about a quarter of an inch thicker,” Zdrazil said. “If you aren’t really paying attention you don’t know that as you put your cash card or your credit card into the ATM, not only is the ATM reading it, but the skimmer is also reading it.”

With the information, criminals will frequently make a new credit card. In one Minnesota instance, the skimmer used illegally made credit cards to purchase gift cards they can use.

Zdrazil said 30 other states have comparable legislation.

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