COCOA BEACH, Fla.,None — It's a scheme that could victimize anyone. A thief set up a device on a Cocoa Beach ATM to steal peoples' bank information. But when he tried to take out his victim's money, a camera snapped a very clear picture of him.
Police hope that picture will help catch the suspect. Police don't believe the man who withdrew the money using stolen information acted alone; it was an elaborate scheme to deceive unsuspecting ATM customers.
The ATM skimmer case compromised the personal bank information of at least 14 Bank of America customers who used an Atlantic Avenue ATM. Police say the man took money out in Indialantic using stolen information from the skimmer placed on that Cocoa Beach Bank of America ATM.
The whole case has made some warier of ATM use, if they weren't already.
"I usually pay attention when I use an ATM," one bank customer said.
Cocoa Beach police gave WFTV a better idea of how the crooks pulled off their sophisticated scam on January 30. The thieves wanted to funnel bank customers to their skimmer to catch personal information, so they created an ‘out of service' sign for the drive-up ATM.
Then customers naturally used the walk up to the ATM at the front of the bank. They didn't realize the suspects have placed the skimmer on top of Bank of America's ATM. It looks like the real thing.
But, police say there are some signs to look for. You should look for a light where your debit card enters the ATM slot. Be cautious if your card doesn't slide easily in, and you should be able to feel the Braille on the ATM keyboard. If you can't, someone may have placed something on top of that keyboard.
Police say the skimmers in this case collected their information for about six hours. That's when the skimmer was discovered.
Investigators believe the suspects were driving a late-model white minivan. They want to catch them before they have the opportunity to fool anyone else.
Because these were debit card thefts, your protections are not the same as if your credit card was stolen. If you report theft within two days, in most cases, you won't be held responsible for more than $50 withdrawn from your account. After that, you could be on the hook for as much as $500.
WFTV
