September 10, 2008 – 4:53 pm
Some identity thieves are taking a high tech approach to credit card fraud. They are stealing cards right from ATM machines. Two men were recently arrested in South Florida for utilizing a new technique that can scan and clone any cards that go into an ATM. These skimming machines slip into a normal card reader slot and read the card’s data and PIN while the victim uses it. They then use the data to create an identical bank card which they sell to other identity thieves, or use to withdraw money directly from the victim’s accounts. This skimming technique is estimated to cost victims billions of dollars each year.
In one recent incident, Florida police received a call from a woman who was having trouble getting her ATM card into the reader. When she looked more closely, she realized the color of the card slot was slightly different than the rest of the machine. She alerted authorities who quickly identified it as a skimming device and removed it. Miahai Arnauta, and George Puflene were arrested nearby on suspicion of tampering with ATMs. The local police investigated the ATM machines in the area and found sticky residue on many of them. They also found GPS data for over 20 nearby banks in their possession. They were both charged with possession and transfer of credit card making equipment and scheme to defraud. These thieves may have been just a small part of a wave of ATM identity theft incidents.
Tags:
Bank Fraud,
identity theft
