Nashville Residents at Risk for ID Theft

Nashville residents at risk for identity theft by international fraud ring.  On Saturday, according to WKRN.com two men, Dragos Diaconu and Gargarita, were charged with identity theft trafficking.  Both men were in Nashville on vacation visas.

Nashville police received a tip from a bank that its ATM had been emptied by numerous cash withdrawals.  In Green Hills, Tennessee, several other ATMs were recently emptied with fake cards.

Nashville Police believe the two men may be connected with a larger fraud ring.  We previously wrote about the earlier Nashville fraud ring bust.  Read about it HERE.

Nashville Police believe the two men may not be the ones actually obtaining the stolen cards because they did not have any skimmers on them at the time of arrest.  That may mean other members of the Nashville identity theft ring are placing skimmers and obtaining identity theft victims’ debit and credit cards.

Do you know how to spot a skimming device? Skimmers can be used to read and save the magnetic stripe data on your debit or credit card.  The skimming devices are often placed on ATMs or gas pumps.  Learn about skimmers HERE.

How can you protect your credit card or debit card from skimmers?

  1. Protect your PIN number.  When you are able to do so, use credit instead of debit.  When you use credit, you do not have to enter your pin number.  If identity thieves are using cameras to record entry of PIN numbers, the credit option takes away any chance that the thieves can record your PIN.
  2. Review your bank statements regularly.  Be on the lookout for any charges that you did not make.  If you find any charges that do not belong to you, dispute the unauthorized charges with your bank or credit card company.
  3. Use the chip function when available.  By using the chip instead of swiping your card, the data on the magnetic stripe will not pass through the card reader.  If the card reader has a skimmer on it, the the thieves will not be able to collect your card data.

The Adkins Firm represents identity theft victims in Nashville and across the South.  If you are a victim of identity theft, you have rights under federal law.  Contact us to schedule a free case review. You can also schedule an appointment with us HERE.

Remember, it’s your credit report!