By Adam Ghassemi
GALLATIN, Tenn. – Alycia Ehlert may have a freshly reissued debit card in her wallet, but for now she's not using it.
"I'm trying to be cautious and not use my card," Ehlert said Wednesday. "I'm just carrying cash with me everywhere that I go."
Last week, Ehlert's bank alerted her to more than $200 dollars in suspicious charges that all came from Florida.
"There were actually three different charges from Home Depot and then one for a chicken restaurant. They got hungry after all of that shopping," she said.
Ehlert is a dean at Volunteer State Community College in Gallatin, and one of dozens of victims from the nearby Greensboro Village shopping center.
"Skimming" happens when clerks or wait staff use handheld readers to steal credit card numbers in businesses or restaurants. There are also wireless versions that can be attached to gas pumps or ATMs, anywhere people swipe their cards.
An email is circulating on the Vol State campus to show skimming examples to at least ten victims, according to Ehlert.
"I was just angry that someone would take my information like that and take the money that I worked hard for," Ehlert said.
Police said reports of fraudulent credit card charges normally trickle in, but this has quickly become the largest skimming ring they've ever seen.
"We have taken over 30 reports since last Tuesday," Gallatin Police Department Lt. Kate Novitsky.
The Sumner County Sheriff's Office and Hendersonville Police Department reported a handful of cases as well, totaling nearly 40 cases in the last week. Most of the fraudulent charges originate in Florida.
While investigators sort through the reports, and try piece this together, Ehlert said she'll be cash only until they can figure out how to stop it.
"I feel like whoever is out there should be working hard for their money just like all of us do. And I just feel violated that someone could get something so personal from me and use it the way they want to," she said.
Police said if you notice anything strange about a card reader either pay in cash or go somewhere else. They say warning signs include a device glued to the spot where you swipe your card, or if the keys are hard to punch.
If you feel like you could be a victim, report it to your bank immediately and then call police, Novitsky said.
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