Skimming suspects may belong to a multistate crime ring

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July 27th, 2009 - Posted by Caitlin

Last week, two men were arrested near Oklahoma City and charged with identity theft, credit card misuse and theft of more than $500.00. These men, who are from Romania and are in the United States illegally, allegedly installed a skimmer on an ATM in Frederick, Maryland, and used the device to steal account numbers from over 20 victims. A small video camera was placed near the ATM, to record PINs. Once the skimmers had the account numbers and PINs, they quickly created fake cards, which they used to withdraw funds from nearby convenience stores. When the men were arrested, they were executing the same scam in Oklahoma, and police say that they believe the men are connected to a multistate identity theft ring based out of California, which has stolen nearly a billion dollars.

A skimmer is a device that records data on a credit or debit card's magnetic strip. It often appears to be a harmless flat panel attached to the front of the ATM. Most victims do not notice that anything is amis until it is far too late.  Police also point out that gas pumps are being targed by skimmers with increasing frequency, since they tend to be busier than ATMs and customers tend to be less suspicious. So, when swiping your ATM card, be extremely conscious of anything suspicious regarding the machine itself. And consider identity theft protection or credit report monitoring to protect yourself from unauthorized transactions.