Fraudsters making off with credit card chips, Abbotsford police warn

A credit card is shown in Philadelphia, on June 10, 2015. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

The Abbotsford Police Department is out with a warning about a new credit scam after receiving several recent reports in the city.

In a social media post Monday, the department said the scam starts with a fraudster – posing as a representative of a credit card company – who tells the would-be victim their card has been compromised.

“The scammer instructs them to cut up the card but leave the chip intact. Shortly after, a driver is sent to collect the cut-up card,” the warning from police said.

“The chip is then reused, leading to unauthorized transactions on the victim’s card.”

Police are reminding people that banks or legitimate credit card providers will never send a driver to pick up a card that has been compromised. Additionally, people are being urged to verify the legitimacy of calls purporting to be from financial institutions.