PORTLAND, Ore. — A Tualatin man recently fell victim to skimming devices placed on area ATMs.
“I feel violated a little bit,” Mike Gephart said.
In late February, Gephart went to the Wells Fargo ATM at Southwest 13th and Barbur to pull out some cash to buy his daughter a birthday gift. It turned out to be a costly mistake. Unbeknownst to him, there was a skimming device on the ATM.
“They captured my PIN, made a clone of my card, and they used it at 42nd and Sandy at the US Bank,” he said.
Gephart was taken for $300.
He says Wells Fargo reimbursed him and issued a new card, but he is still upset.
“They haven’t told me who put the skimmer on there when the skimmer was put on, any pictures of the person who put the skimmer on,” he said.
Gephart is not alone in his frustration.
According to a spokesperson for the Portland Police Bureau, they have received numerous skimming reports in the last few weeks. The devices were on ATMs at 120 SW Taylor Street, 635 SW 6th Avenue and 19th Avenue and Burnside Street. There are even more reports of skimming popping up on social media.
“All money I make. I work hard for,” Gephart said. “So, it’s frustrating someone would come in and steal money from my family and me and my business.”
He is so disheartened by this experience he pledges to make major changes.
“I’m going to try not to use ATMs anymore,” he said. “When I do, I’ll wiggle and jiggle everything on there.”
Authorities encourage people to check their accounts frequently for fraudulent activity and report suspicious withdrawals to their bank and police.