It’s so convenient to make purchases these days. Walk into the store, make your selection and then go to the cashier and “swipe” your debit card, punch in your PIN and be on your way. Who needs to carry cash?

I’m not advocating an end to debit or credit cards — heck, I use them all the time myself. However, if you want the ultimate in safety when you shop, you are much better off with the good old green stuff — cash.

A criminal gang that originated in Eastern Europe has been hanging out in Canada lately and they’ve been keeping themselves quite busy.

This gang is quite technically savvy, enough to be able to install parasitic data collection devices in the POS or point-of-sale PIN pads in retail establishments and banks. You know, the nifty little keypads with the displays on them that you use to punch in your PIN number during a purchase.

The resourceful gang managed to swap legitimate PIN pads in numerous retail locations for their own version with the data collection device installed. A while later they would return and swap their pads our for the original pads and be on their way.

The devices installed in the PIN pads are able to collect the card numbers and PIN codes of all the customers who used the pad. The crooks are then able to read all of that information from the devices and use the card numbers and PIN codes to make fraudulent purchases.

The victims only become aware of it when they notice unauthorized withdrawals begin to show up on their bank account.

The good news is that four of these crooks were captured when when they were spotted in a bank acting suspicious. When the cops arrived they found the suspects in possession of fake credit cards and a whole bunch of cash.

The cops were then able to trace them to a nearby hotel where they were able to round up two more of the crooks, complete with the equipment they had been using for their scam.

Here’s a tip for anyone who uses credit or debit cards: Log into your account every day and make sure there is no unusual activity showing up. Most banks these days allow you to log into your account over the Internet, so make a habit of doing it every day. I do.

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