As more consumers opt for debit cards instead of checks or credit cards, consumer and banking officials have some tips about "skimming" scams and ways to avoid them.

"Debit cards are becoming more prevalent," said Gary Fujitani, executive director of the Hawaii Bankers Association. He advises consumers to be wary of using them at ATMs that look unusual and could have been altered.

And he and other banking officials suggest not typing in your PIN (personal identification number) if you are in an unfamiliar place — such as an unfamiliar gas station — where someone could have tampered with the equipment. They say it's better to let the debit charge go through as if on a credit card and pay the bill later than take a chance that your personal information is at risk.

"We like to remind the public to be cautious," Fujitani said.

When you get your checking account statements, you should review them carefully to make sure withdrawals match your records and recollections, agreed Brian Ishikawa, Bank of Hawaii senior vice president and director of corporate security.

And Fujitani warns about a recent trend in which scammers will call, e-mail or text message you to ask for information. "Banks would not do that," he said. "Text messaging has become a new twist in the fraud."

Fujitani confirms that there have been some isolated incidents of what's know as "skimming" in Hawai'i. That's where crooks set up equipment that captures information from your debit card and keypad entry when you input your PIN at certain ATM machines, shops, restaurants or gas pumps.

Hawai'i folks should be wary, he said. "We're a smaller community, we tend to be more trustful of each other."

When unauthorized equipment to read the cards has been installed (and sometimes a hidden camera also watches the customer inputting a PIN number), "it's usually been traced to a dishonest employee or someone paid by crooks," he said.

And Fujitani warns that this time of financial challenges may be riskier. "These times may make normally honest people consider doing something dishonest," he said.

Bank of Hawaii's Ishikawa said skimming has taken place at some gas stations and restaurants. Sometimes, the crooks paid $500 or $1,000 to a low-wage clerk to run some cards — every third or fourth card — through a reader that records the information. The crooks pick up the machines and sell the information.

Ishikawa says to know where your card is, not just when it's in your purse or wallet. If you go to a store, watch the clerk. Is the card being run through a machine, going somewhere you can't see?

And he says protect your PIN. Don't ever write the PIN on the card in ink, making it easy for a lost or stolen card to provide anyone with easy access to your money. Memorize your PIN. When you type in your PIN, use your body and your hand to prevent others from seeing the numbers. Even if it's unlikely that the person behind you is watching, why take a risk?

Reach Robbie Dingeman at rdingeman@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2429.