WAMU FINDS ATM FRAUD, SENDS OUT NEW CARDS.Byline: DANA BARTHOLOMEW Staff Writer TARZANA -- Washington Mutual “WaMu” redirects here. For the Washington, DC radio station, see WAMU. Washington Mutual (or WaMu; NYSE: WM) is the United States' largest savings and loan association. has responded to ATM fraud at a San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. branch by sending out notices of new debit cards debit card, card that allows the cost of goods or services that are purchased to be deducted directly from the purchaser's checking account. They can also be used at automated teller machines for withdrawing cash from the user's checking account. to customers, bank officials announced Thursday. Two hundred bank customers whose accounts were compromised by fraud at a Washington Mutual automated-teller machine on Ventura Boulevard Ventura Boulevard is one of the primary east-west thouroughfares in the San Fernando Valley; as it was originally a part of the El Camino Real (the trail between Spanish missions), Ventura Boulevard is the oldest route in the San Fernando Valley. It was also U.S. in Tarzana will receive the cards. The Seattle-based bank has a policy of ``zero liability'' for unwarranted debit-card losses. ``Apparently there was a skimming Skimming An electronic method of capturing a victim's personal information used by identity thieves. The skimmer is a small device that scans a credit card and stores the information contained in the magnetic strip. device that was noticed at one of our ATMs, which (when) attached to our card reader will steal account information,'' said Gary Kishner, the Los Angeles-based spokesman for Washington Mutual in California. ``We have stopped transactions on all those accounts.'' The skimming device, which reads account information on an ATM debit card, was found in July at one of three WaMu branches along Ventura Boulevard, Kishner said. To activate the accounts, a criminal will often detect a personal identification number by hidden camera or by looking over an ATM customer's shoulder. It wasn't until this week, however, that suspicious activity was detected on any of the compromised accounts, Kishner said. Notices were sent out to affected Washington Mutual customers explaining that debit cards were compromised and that new cards are on their way. Kishner was unable to disclose the specific branch where the crime took place or whether law enforcement officials had been called in to investigate. ``This is something we and other banks are working to combat,'' he said. ``Every bank falls prey to this at one time or another. Washington Mutual has 600 branches in California, including 170 in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. , 40 of which are in the Valley. dana.bartholomew(at)dailynews.com (818) 713-3730 |
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