Police in West Vancouver are investigating a suspected debit card scam after staff at a store found a strange Interac keypad on its premises.

Police were alerted Wednesday by staff at Swimwear Etc. in the Park Royal South Shopping Mall, who noticed that an inoperative debit card terminal was not the same one that was regularly in use.

They suspect someone may have switched the regular terminal with a parasite version, which would record PIN number data that could later be retrieved and used to drain customer bank accounts.

West Vancouver police officers have met with representatives of Park Royal Shopping Mall to help them find ways to combat credit card fraud, which they say is a growing problem.

Police are advising merchants to clearly identify their credit card terminals and check them regularly.

Merchants are also being advised to buy a sturdy and flexible cable that can be easily fastened to the terminals to prevent them from being removed.