CHARLOTTE — If you have shopped at one of the five area Michaels Stores (four in Charlotte and one in Matthews), and paid with a debit or credit card, the BBB warns you to take immediate steps to protect your bank account and your credit.
Michaels Stores announced in a news release that it has uncovered widespread “pin pad tampering” in stores throughout the country. The pin pad is the device through which you swipe your credit or debit card, enter your PIN and sign the screen. This tampering could allow scammers to capture your credit card number or your debit card number and PIN code.
“The exposure to customers is significant,” said BBB President Tom Bartholomy, “If a scammer has both your debit card AND your pin number, they can drain your bank account in a matter of minutes.”
“With your credit card number, a scammer could create a duplicate card and max out your credit before you would even know that your credit card had been stolen,” Bartholomy added.
If you have shopped at Michael’s Stores and paid with your credit or debit card, the BBB has this advice:
• Change your PIN on your debit card immediately.
• Check your account transactions to see if any unauthorized charges have been made.
• Contact your bank to see if they recommend canceling the credit or debit card that you used at Michaels Stores and reissuing new cards to you.
• Check your credit reports with the three credit bureaus to make sure that your identity has not been compromised. You can obtain one free credit report from each of the three credit bureaus at www.annualcreditreport.com.
• If you find suspicious activity on your credit report, contact each credit bureau directly to notify them of the issues and to put a ‘fraud alert’ on your account.
Michaels Stores has set up a contact number for customers who have questions 1-800-MICHAELS (1-800-642-5235).
For more information about protecting your identity, please visit www.bbb.org.