Credit card skimmers found at ATMs in Santa Barbara County resulted in at least 20 complaints from Coast Hills Federal Credit Union customers who said their accounts were fraudulently accessed, according to Lompoc Police Department Sgt. Kevin Martin
Police in both Lompoc and Santa Maria reported finding the card skimmers attached to the card readers of Coast Hills’ ATM machines in the two cities.
On Sept. 12, the LPD found a green credit card skimming device attached to one of the exterior Coast Hills’ ATM machines located at 1320 N. H St. A photo provided by the LPD taken from the ATM’s camera in Lompoc seemed to indicate that the card skimmer was installed on Sept. 11.
The facilities manager at the Lompoc Coast Hills also found a similar device at a drive-up ATM at Coast Hills in Santa Maria, located at 1203 S. Broadway on the same day.
This time, a customer noticed the card’s reader had an unusual green appearance and that it wasn’t functioning properly, according to Santa Maria Police Department Sgt. Jesus Valle.
Card skimmers have been an ongoing problem in Ventura County this year. Last month, authorities inspected 1,512 fuel pumps and reported finding three card skimmers installed over credit card readers at gas stations. Also, two card skimmers were found at gas station pumps in Thousand Oaks in March, according to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.
Along with the LPD and SMPD, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s office in Santa Maria is also investigating the origins of the skimmers.
“We are trying to expedite the reporting process to make sure that the victims don’t have to wait for an officer to get the process started,” Martin said.
Anybody who believes they may be a victim of the skimming device in Lompoc is encouraged to fill out and print an online crime report at cityoflompoc.com/police/crime_report, then fax it to 735-8256.
This article appears in Sep 17-24, 2015.