Valley residents among victims of credit card fraud

Credit and debit card fraud is on rise in the Bay Area, and in recent months, it has been felt in the Boulder Creek area.
The Boulder Creek Family Network, which raised the alert recently by way of e-mail warnings to about 300 members, reportedly discovered a dozen Boulder Creek families that had reported being victims of credit card fraud.
According to Liberty Bank Manager Jill Hitchman, an increased number of instances of debit card fraud have been reported recently in four ZIP codes in the south Bay Area including San Jose . Those cases have been largely at chain retail and grocery stores, due in part to illicit gadgets called “skimmers” that capture credit card numbers and PIN codes.
“If a customer uses an ATM or card reader, look for anything out of the ordinary,” Hitchman said. “Those skimmers are getting smaller and smaller.”
On May 21, Hitchman said, the bank received a report of fraudulent activity on seven Liberty Bank customers’ accounts.
Those accounts were quickly resolved, she said, and the customers were notified.
She said that while banks work to respond quickly to fraud reports, people who use credit and debit cards should always be on their guard.
The following are some tips from Liberty Bank in Boulder Creek and Union Bank in Felton to protect against fraud:
**Check your bank statements regularly.
**Don’t let your card out of your sight.
**Protect your PIN code.
**Don’t give card information over the phone to anyone claiming to be from a bank.
**Unattended card readers (at gas stations, in parking lots, and so on) pose an increased risk of skimmers.
**Watch for unusual add-ons to card readers.
**Use caution when making online purchases.
**Always use your own computer to make online purchases.