ServiceOntario kiosks shut down temporarily
4 Toronto-area malls targeted in card-skimming scheme
The Canadian Press
Posted: Jun 7, 2012 6:22 AM ET
Last Updated: Jun 8, 2012 8:21 AM ET
ServiceOntario kiosks at four Toronto-area malls are where thieves used devices to skim bank card information, which has forced a shut down of service of all kiosks across the province
ServiceOntario kiosks across Ontario are shut down due to a card-skimming scheme in the Toronto area. (Ashley Burke/CBC)ServiceOntario and its financial sector partners are investigating the security violation and police have been notified, according to Government Services Minister Harinder Thakhar.
The news comes as Toronto and Peel Region police are warning about new methods being used to skim debit and credit cards in the Greater Toronto Area.
Takhar also said the decision to pull the kiosks from service was made "out of an abundance of caution."
No government information obtained
He added he wants to make sure ServiceOntario's customers continue to be protected. There are no signs that the thieves obtained any government information, such as OHIP or driver's licence number.
There are 72 kiosks in Ontario. The four kiosks were targeted at malls in Mississauga, Vaughan, Thornhill and Etobicoke. Those people who used the kiosks will receive a call from their bank.
Customers can still access services at serviceontario.ca or can visit one of nearly 300 ServiceOntario centres in the province.
ServiceOntario provides health card, driver's licences and vehicle registration services, among others.
With files from CBC News
Share Tools
Latest Ottawa News Headlines
- Harper chief of staff resigns amid Senate expense scandal
- Nigel Wright has resigned as Prime Minister Stephen Harper's chief of staff, following revelations he wrote a $90,000 cheque to repay living expenses claimed by Senator Mike Duffy. more »
- Border collies enlisted to keep geese from experimental farm
- Canada geese have destroyed hundreds of thousands of dollars in research at the Central Experimental Farm in recent years, so much so that border collies have now been hired to keep the pesky birds away. more »
- Colin Greening saves Senators with winner in double OT
- Ottawa Senators winger Colin Greening scored the game winner more than seven minutes into the second overtime period to give the Senators a 2-1 win and give them life in their series with the Pittsburgh Penguins. more »
- Petition looks to rename Victoria Day
- A group that includes some prominent Canadian actors, writers and politicians is calling on Prime Minister Stephen Harper to change the name of Victoria Day. more »
Must Watch
Top News Headlines
- Unknown remains found on Dellen Millard's farm
- Police searching the farm of Dellen Millard, the 27-year-old charged with first-degree murder after the remains of Ancaster, Ont., man Tim Bosma were discovered, have found other remains on the property, but it's unclear if they are human or animal. more »
- Canadian on EI shut out amid foreign worker influx
- A jobless Canadian IT professional who is collecting employment insurance is upset because he now suspects several recent jobs he applied for went to temporary foreign workers. more »
- Can the Senate fire a senator?
- An expert on parliamentary rules says the Senate has the power to turf a senator from the chamber, as long as a majority approves the expulsion, and as long as there is cause. more »
- Nahlah Ayed: Vote-wary Iranians mull Ahmadinejad's successor
- Iranians go to the polls in less than four weeks to choose a new president. The reform movement is still smarting from its bitter defeat four years ago, but the jockeying for power is no less intense, Nahlah Ayed reports. more »
- Edmonton boy, 2, killed after car hits patio
- A two-year-old boy is dead after a car smashed into a patio at a south Edmonton restaurant Sunday night. more »
Most Viewed/Commented
- Fire destroys 100-year-old barn near Kemptville, Ont.
- 2 earthquakes felt in Ontario and Quebec
- The origin of #PeskySens on Twitter
- Bagpiper finds extremely rare instrument at auction
- Gatineau officer shot her own leg, police say
- Harper chief of staff resigns amid Senate expense scandal
- Fallen rugby player remembered at tournament
- Man charged with attempted murder after Orleans stabbing
- Teen rugby player dies after suffering head injury in game
