NEW YORK – A recent surge in debit card fraud is plaguing Canadian retailers, reports BankNet 360.

The news source writes that debit card thieves are stealing card terminals from gas stations, convenience stores and fast food restaurants so they can rig the devices and swipe embedded data stored on card magnetic strips. Thieves then switch the rigged terminals with genuine machines, which gives them the ability to collect personal account information from swiped debit cards, such as personal identification numbers (PIN).

“In Ottawa and Montreal, PIN pad fraud has resulted in approximately $6.7 million in losses during the past few months,” notes the news source.

Additionally, more than 40 retailers in Montreal have reported that wireless Internet connections were used to remotely retrieve PINs and card numbers from rigged card terminals. Thieves used that data to clear out the bank accounts of approximately 18,000 debit card holders.

The news source notes that Canadians use debit cards “more than any other country, averaging 82 million debit transactions a year.”