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Skimming Scheme Hits Local ATMs

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By KEITH MORELLI

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 16, 2008

TAMPA - A troubling trend in automated teller machinations has found its way into the Bay area and Tampa police say anyone who uses convenient roadside ATMs can be a potential victim.

Three times over the past two weeks, "skimmers" - devices that steal the numbers off debit and credit cards and record personal identification numbers as they are tapped into the keypad - have been attached to ATMs in the Bay area.

Among the most recent victims: Tampa police Cpl. Mark Altimari, who put his debit card into the Bank of America ATM on the corner of Nebraska and Fowler avenues at lunchtime Sept. 5. He wanted to make a $20 withdrawal.

"I noticed my card wouldn't slide in smoothly," he said at Monday's news conference called to warn banking customers of the latest method of identity theft. "It kind of seemed odd to me."

His card went in but only partially came out, he said. He pulled on it, and the whole card reader pulled off the face of the ATM. That's when he knew his card had been scanned by a device that was not an original part of the machine.

He immediately notified the Bank of America and security officials told him to check for a camera. He felt behind the trim over the keypad and found a tiny camera the size of two sticks of gum hidden there. The entire piece of trim had been taped into place and looked like it was a part of the ATM. The camera, positioned over a tiny hole in the trim, was aimed at the keyboard to record a PIN as it's punched in.

Tampa police Sgt. Becky Bodamer said a similar card scanning device, this one less bulky and barely noticeable, was recovered at Pilot Bank, 4005 S. Dale Mabry Highway, about 4 p.m. Friday.

As of Monday morning, no one had reported that money was missing from accounts in either of the banks, Bodamer said, but it was uncertain how many people had used the machines.

Some sophisticated devices transmit the card's number the moment it is being used, she said. These devices were not that technologically advanced, however. They had to be gathered from the ATM and plugged into a computer to retrieve the data, she said. Because they were seized by police, it is assumed the thieves did not have a chance to obtain the information.

20 Hit In Clearwater Scheme

The two devices were different enough to lead detectives to think they likely were not put there by the same people, she said. Detectives are in contact with Clearwater investigators, who think a skimmer similar to the one found at the Pilot Bank was used at a bank there last week.

Clearwater police said that more than 20 people who used a local Wachovia ATM over a two-day period last week have complained about money being pilfered from their accounts.

Officers found evidence of an adhesive on the ATM at the bank branch office at 2699 Gulf-to-Bay Blvd. They said the scanning device probably was attached to the machine and recorded information about customers' accounts, including PINs, as the customers used the machines.

In all cases, the devices looked like ordinary card slots. The false slot holds an additional card reader. Hidden cameras are one method of capturing a PIN, but another method is a false keypad, glued onto the face of the ATM directly above the real keypad. The fake records the PIN as it is punched in.

If working properly, the machine will give the card back, along with any cash withdrawals, and the user would walk away not knowing their banking information had been compromised, Bodamer said.

In many instances, she said, the devices "can't be detected unless you're a bank official."

Advice For ATM Customers

Tampa police issued these tips for ATM safety:

•Use secure ATMs inside a bank lobby or inside a store. Offenders can install the scanners quickly, but likely won't go inside a place of business to do it.

•Cover the keypad with your free hand when you punch in your PIN. This obstructs the view of any hidden cameras that may be present.

•Skimming devices may protrude from the face of the ATM. If something looks suspicious or if the keypad jiggles or the card slot is not quite level, leave and use another ATM and call the bank to report it.

•If the machine keeps your card, call the bank immediately.

•Don't accept help from anyone hanging around the ATM. They may be there to try to observe your PIN.

Bodamer said the ATM data-thieving trend began in South Florida and is making its way north. She said two men from Romania were arrested in a South Florida skimming scheme.

Those behind the high-tech identity thievery are likely part of an organized group with knowledge of how such instruments work, she said, and enough cash to invest in the equipment.

Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 259-7760 or kmorelli@tampatrib.com.

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