Police in Oklahoma are using scanners that can identify phony credit cards, but critics warn the devices could also allow cops to empty the bank accounts of law-abiding citizens with one swipe.

Authorities in the state are using the new devices during traffic stops to freeze and seize money loaded onto prepaid debit cards by alleged drug traffickers, with the potential to net up to $8,000 per portable scanner. Supporters of the program, which has only been in the field for about six weeks, say it’s an important tool for law enforcement agencies to interrupt the flow of illegal drugs into Oklahoma.

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OKLAHOMA CITY –

You may have heard of civil asset forfeiture.

That’s where police can seize property and cash without first proving a person committed a crime; without a warrant and without arresting them, as long as they suspect that the property is somehow tied to a crime.

Now, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol has a device that also allows them to seize money on prepaid cards.

It’s called an ERAD, or Electronic Recovery and Access to Data machine, and OHP began using 16 of them last month.

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