Report: Thieves drain North Charleston woman’s bank accounts

A North Charleston woman said Monday that thieves drained her bank accounts of $2,700 after they somehow got a hold of her debit card information.

A report filed with the North Charleston Police Department stated that Kay Hyman realized the theft when she attempted to pay bills Sunday. Someone took money from her checking account and two savings accounts and also gained access to loan information, the report stated.

Hyman, who works for the Charleston Animal Society, added that withdrawals were made from five different ATM machines in Pennsylvania. She has not recently traveled to the state, she said.

It’s unknown how the thieves gained access to her information, she said. It’s possible that thieves used a “skimming” device at a place where she made a purchase, she said. The machines can gather debit card numbers and PIN information.

Hyman added that she had heard about similar activity being reported in the North Charleston area.

But police spokesman Spencer Pryor said investigators had not immediately connected Hyman’s case with others.

“We all take it for granted that our information is safe,” she said. “But no information is safe anymore. … It’s important to see that it can happen to anybody.”

Hyman said her credit union refunded her lost money.

Reach Andrew Knapp at 937-5414 or twitter.com/offlede.