The Bank of the West is warning customers that their debit card numbers and PINs have been stolen by skimmers installed on several of the bank's ATMs.
The financial institute, which operates over 600 branches in the United States, first detected a wave of suspicious withdrawal attempts in November 2021 and coordinated with law enforcement to conduct an in-depth investigation.
A review of the bank's entire ATM network was completed on April 18, 2022, revealing that someone had installed skimmers on an undisclosed number of cash-withdrawal terminals.
"The ATM skimming device that was installed interfered with the normal debit card transaction and allowed the theft of your card number, the PIN number associated with your card, and possibly your name and address," explains the bank's
notice to impacted customers.
"This stolen information may have been used to create fake debit cards and attempt cash withdrawals."
The bank claims that it promptly stopped the fraudulent use of stolen card information and actively monitored all accounts that were determined to be compromised.
Compromised customers should have their debit cards blocked now and will receive a new debit card and PIN. Additionally, Bank of the West will cover one year of free credit monitoring and identity theft protection services to all impacted clients.
