(WTOL) - Police want locals to keep a closer eye on their bank accounts after a string of debit card numbers were stolen throughout the area.
In the past few weeks, the Oregon Police Department received seven reports of identity theft. Northwood had five reports, and Walbridge had one. Police said more reports could still be on the way.
"There's various ways that it can happen. We can only surmise someone got a hold of their information illegally, either through the banking system or someone has collected their information somewhere," said Sergeant Timothy Zale of the Oregon Police Department.
The cards are linked to several different banks and credit unions, including the Bay Area Credit Union, Genoa Bank and Huntington Bank. It is still under investigation whether the instances are connected or not.
Zale said the purchases were taking place out of state.
"At the same time, they're in control of their card. They physically have their card. They don't know how their information got out," Zale said.
Robbie Barrett was one of the victims. He said he heard his information had been stolen on Friday.
"The fraud department at my bank notified me by phone that I had six charges out of state," Barrett said.
Someone had used his debit card information to make about $700 in purchases, mostly at gas stations based in Colorado.
"I'm very careful, and nothing like this has ever happened to me," Barrett said. "I really don't know how they obtained my information."
Barrett works for the Northwood Police Department, and it was not long before he discovered there had been a number of other similar identity thefts.
Police advise locals to check on their purchases often. They also discourage using debit cards to make a lot of purchases because they are often linked to savings accounts. In addition, they recommend using a credit card with a low limit.
Police said that will help minimize damage in a worst case scenario.
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