The Owen Sound Police Service is rolling out a new crime prevention strategy.
Inspector Vince Wurfel says the Stick It To Crime initiative is designed to prevent rapidly increasing incidents of fraud at point of sale terminals, or debit and credit card machines.
Wurfel says businesses can sign up to have officers install a serial numbered security seal on their point of sale terminals.
Wurfel says fraudsters are very skilled and quick at changing out the terminals or installing skimming devises that go undetected.
They can gather personal electronic banking information and use it to fraudulently withdraw funds from accounts.
Wurfel says while he doesn’t have any numbers this is a growing problem across the province and has been seen in Owen Sound.
Wurfel says the seal will make it impossible to insert a clone terminal containing the same seal or to insert skimming devices without damaging the seal.
Wurfel says police are working with the Downtown Improvement Area to roll out the first phase of the program to downtown merchants.
It’s voluntary and free for businesses to sign up and get a seal installed.
Wurfel says he hopes to see the program expanded across the city as soon as possible.
