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Police Release Pictures Of Men Wanted In ATM Scam

January 06, 2006
Police have released pictures of suspects they say have been placing skimming devices, video cameras, and phony key pads on ATM's to steal bank card information from unsuspecting users.

Investigators say at least two men have hit two branches of the Washington Mutual Bank – one on Hylan Boulevard on Staten Island and one on Canal Street in Manhattan's Chinatown.

Police say the scams include cameras aimed down at ATM key pads to record PIN number information as it is punched in.

Once the men have the information from the cards, they encode the data on new cards and withdraw the victims' money from other banks.

Police say the scam has netted $100,000 from 50 accounts over the past two months.

Victims of the scam say they only discovered they had been ripped off once they checked their account balances.

"When I looked at my account on the internet to see if they put my pension check in, and when the bank comes up you have checking and savings and I thought, 'what the heck is going on with the savings?'" said victim Thomas Curitore. "So I clicked on that and I see three $500 withdrawals from New York City. They took $1,500 out of it and they even charged me the fee."

Police are also putting out tips you can use to better protect yourself from this type of crime:

* Use a regular ATM so you know if something is out of the ordinary. If something is different, do not use it and ask the bank about the changes.

* Look out for any cameras that seem to focus on the card and not the faces of the user and simply beware of anything that looks unusual, such as odd looking equipment or wires attached to a device.

Meanwhile, police are also searching for a man suspected of a hold up in Manhattan.

Police say that on December 17th, a victim was robbed in broad daylight inside the Chase bank near Bryant Park. The suspect pretended to have a gun and forced the victim to give up his cash, then fled the scene.

Police say the suspect is a dark-skinned male between 30 and 40, about 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighing 175 pounds.

At the time of the attack, he was wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt, glasses and a large chain with a cross around his neck.

Anyone with any information regarding this crime is asked to call the Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS.