WILMINGTON — The Wilmington Police Department has revealed the methods behind a recent string of debit card skimmer attacks.
On Tuesday, officers with the department arrested three men from Miami, Florida, who had been running an interstate operation. The suspects collected nearly $10,000 by withdrawing small amounts from numerous accounts using replicated debit cards.
Related story: Wilmington police catch Florida men with ATM skimmers, pin hole cameras and cash
How the skimmer attacks work
According to Detective Andy Swensen, the operation had two distinct parts: one part focused on using skimming devices and pinhole cameras, and a second part focused on manufacturing duplicate cards which were then used at ATMs.
The first part used a long, thin skimmer device, Swensen said. The suspects allegedly filed away the plastic lip around the card slot on ATMs. They then apparently inserted the skimmer device into the ATM, between the machine’s card reader and an unsuspecting user’s card. This allowed them to capture card information. According to Swensen, that information was broadcast via blue-tooth devices.
The suspects also allegedly attached a metal strip to ATMs with magnetic fixtures. The strip resembles a normal part of an ATM and is stamped with the name of a common manufacturer, but it is also equipped with a pin-hole camera. The camera, trained on the ATM’s keypad, filmed users entering their PIN codes and stored the footage on a removable SD card.
After a day or two of filming, suspects retrieved the SD card. Then, they moved on to the second phase of the operation.
The suspects used the information they had gathered to load blank credit cards with stolen information. Using a laptop computer and a magnetic coder, the suspects were apparently able to create numerous replica cards. When matched with the PIN numbers from the pinhole cameras, the suspects apparently used the cards to make withdrawals.
According to Swensen, the suspects made many small withdrawals – sometimes $20 at a time – to avoid raising alarms. He advised residents to check their financial accounts frequently.
How to protect yourself
Swensen recommended all ATMs users shield their hands.
“I always cover my hands, and I’ll sometimes make it look like I’m pressing more keys than I actually am,” Swensen said.
Swensen also said if anything looks – or feels – off about an ATM, he’d consider not using it. The skimmer device inserted into an ATM to illegally capture data can make it difficult to insert a card.
Skimmers inserted into an ATM to steal users’ information require criminals to file away part of the plastic around the card slot. Concerned users can look for plastic shavings or rough edges around the card slot.
Swensen said that there were likely many more of skimming devices out there, since they have a limited lifespan.
“When you install one of these, you’ve got about a day, maybe two, before a bank notices something is wrong,” Swensen said. “Then they’re on to the next one.”
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