Arlington Heights Cops Warn Of ATM Scammers
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. (CBS) -- Police are looking for crews of traveling scammers who have been stealing customer ID numbers and draining their bank accounts at ATMs in Arlington Heights.
Financial Crimes Det. Todd Radek said Arlington Heights police are particularly looking for one man who scammed accounts then robbed an Arlington Heights ATM back in January.
Radek says the scammers have been operating for about a year now, with two or three crews involving over a dozen people. He says the crews place realistic card readers over the original card reader and, in some cases, alter the keyboard to snag a customer's PIN.
LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio's John Cody reports
Podcast
Radek said the wanted man was seen skimming the bar code off a victim's ATM card, then used that code to access the victim's bank account.
Police said banks cover the customers' losses, but it's important for the integrity of the system to find and stop the ATM scamming crews.
Radek urged ATM patrons to be alert for any changes in the look or feel of their ATM card readers or keypads. He is also asking to be notified if ATM patrons see someone in the ATM lobby for an unduly long time, as if waiting for a lull in the action to run several cards through the system, before removing the reading device and moving on to a new ATM
Further details on the case can be found by visiting the Citizen Observer website.
Anyone with information is urged to call Radek at (847) 368-5354, or through his email at tradek@vah.com.
