Police are grappling with a major spike in debit card skimming activity in the Lower Mainland.

Fraudsters have stepped up their efforts to illegally harvest card data and passwords, forge fake cards and then suck money out of victims' bank accounts, according to Sgt. Tony Farahbakhchian, the RCMP's Pacific region counterfeit coordinator.

"The increase is significant," he said, but added he doesn't have precise numbers of banking customers affected.

The rash of skimming has led to large numbers of people being warned by their financial institutions that their card may be compromised, prompting line-ups at some banks to get replacements.

In most cases, personal identification number (PIN) pads at businesses have been surreptitiously swapped with ones the criminals can wirelessly connect to and download the magnetic stripe data from swiped cards.

In some cases, employees may be involved.

"These bad guys have been known to approach these employees and entice them or even threaten them," Farahbakhchian said.

He won't say which businesses are being targeted, but said they include restaurants, movie theatres, gas stations and pharmacies.

"I don't think anybody is immune in particular," he said, adding locations with high customer traffic have been favoured.

"You can have hundreds or thousands of people compromised with one incident," he said.

Businesses that leave their point-of-sale terminals unattended for too long or don't take security measures to protect their PIN pads are most at risk.

PIN pads should have stickers on the back to help show if there's been tampering, and businesses should frequently check the serial number to ensure it's the same at the end of a shift as it was at the start.

Customers can also guard against debit card skimming, he said.

He advises to check account statements online frequently.

Regularly changing the PIN number is also a good policy, he said.

"Any time you use your card somewhere in an area you're not accustomed to or an ATM you're not used to, or if you just don't feel good or have red flags, change your PIN number."

Always shield your fingers from view when entering your PIN number, he advises, and watch for hidden cameras and "shoulder surfers."

New debit cards are expected to roll out next year with embedded computer chips that are more secure than the current magnetic stripe technology.

jnagel@surreyleader.com