Ask the officer Ask the officer (February 18, 2004)

Menlo Park police officer Glenn J. Raggio answers questions about the police and law enforcement. Call 330-6396, or e-mail: asktheofficer@menlopark.org.

Q. I read about this new technique for stealing identities and credit card numbers. It was called a skimmer. Have you come across this?

A. It's not new at all. In fact, we've warned the public about skimmers, and I've written about them in the past.

A recap is in order. A skimmer is a device that can record all the information that's coded on the magnetic strip on the back of your credit cards or on your driver's license. The device is a small box that fits comfortably in the felon's pocket; after he charges you for your New York steak, he covertly slides your card through the skimmer and locks in all your credit card information. Before you've even finished your port, someone is at a department store or on the Internet using your number to make large purchases. As I wrote in my original article, I've taken to using cash when dining out, as I was a victim of this kind of fraud three years ago.

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