Debit card skimmer found at Rogue Credit Union in Ashland

Update (11-01-17 3:00 p.m.) – Police have released surveillance images of two men who may be responsible for placing a skimmer on a Rogue Credit Union ATM on Lithia Way. If you recognize them, call police.

Ashland, Ore.- A crime that’s difficult to spot has been happening at a bank in Ashland. Ashland Police Officers say it’s an uncommon occurrence.

Officers found a skimming machine in the ATM making it possible for the suspect who put it there to steal your debit card information.

Officers say the device was found at the Rogue Credit Union on Lithia Way after a vigilant customer noticed the skimmer early Saturday morning. The customer immediately called Ashland Police and it was removed from the ATM.

What exactly is a skimmer?

It’s an overlay that fits on the card reader at an ATM. When you slide your card in, the skimmer steals your information, that’s linked to your bank account, from the magnetic strip on the back of your debit card.

For Rogue Credit Union customer Thomas Sanchez the skimmer was a scary thought but not something that was unheard of. During his time living in California, he heard about it happening there starting back in 2005.

As a local businessman and a father to two young boys Sanchez says that he’s careful with his banking.

“I always check the ATM or anything that I slide my card on,” Sanchez explains.

Now that the Ashland police have removed the skimmer, and are searching for a suspect, Thomas Sanchez has his own theory of who put it there.

Sanchez says, “There are those crowds that come through town knowing that there’s money here.”

Currently, the investigation is ongoing into who placed the skimmer on that Rogue Credit Union ATM in Ashland.

If you have any information, call Ashland Police.