RALEIGH, N.C.-A card-skimming spree that affected a number of State Employees' Credit Union members could have been a major public relations disaster, but quick action on the part of the CU turned it into a teaching opportunity for consumers.
According to a preliminary investigation, fraudsters used card-skimming devices and tiny cameras to steal debit card numbers and PINs from local gas pumps. SECU's SVP of Educational Services Leigh Brady said those individuals used copies of the universal key that opens gas pumps to install both devices and potentially utilized Bluetooth technology to process the numbers and cards on a laptop as they waited nearby.
TV Picks Up Tip from SECU Member
A television station picked up a tip from a SECU member who expressed concern that his card may have been compromised. SECU readily agreed to discuss the situation with the affiliate, but the first report was less than favorable.
"When they reported it, they reported it as just happening to SECU. But that's not true because if a skimmer is on a gas pump, every financial institution in this area has been affected by this," Brady explained. The $18.4-billion institution felt that it was losing control of the situation and opening up the possibility that members would feel less safe as SECU was the only name attached to the skimming wave.
"That was unfolding on Monday with that first television station. I was like 'wait a minute,'" said Brady. "That's why we took the stance of getting everyone else involved in the media and they've jumped all over it."
The credit union quickly approached the other news outlets across the Raleigh-Durham area and gave them all the details they had on the situation, including pictures of six suspects. The suspects had been caught using counterfeit cards with the real numbers and PINs to withdraw cash in $500 increments in ATMs across the Carolinas and into West Virginia. The stories that ran with this new information, including a follow-up at the station which initially got it wrong, provided a strong advocacy slant that delivered the facts but also told consumers across the community how to protect themselves and bring the perpetrators to justice. Perhaps most importantly, it was evident in the new reports that SECU was far from the only financial institution affected by the crimes.
SECU Gaines Control of the Story
By getting as much information as possible out to all the news outlets, SECU was able to quickly gain control of the story and put out a positive message. Now the credit union is fielding calls from a news station in Spartanburg, S.C. to help them with a story on the case as the skimmers are using SECU member information to take cash from ATMs in that area, as well as nearby Greenville.
"Some folks might view this as a PR nightmare, but we've taken an opposite approach. But in the end I think members and everyone in our community are going to appreciate this approach," said Brady. "Don't ever let anyone else tell your story. They are more likely to get it wrong."
