DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — A Bank of America ATM was rigged by a thief with a skimming device on it and the subtle differences are things you'd never notice. The device could read every ATM card that went into the machine and also record people's PIN numbers.
SLIDESHOW: Surveillance Photos, Images Of 'Skimmer'
The skimmer was set up on a walk-up ATM at the Bank of America on Clyde Morris Boulevard (see map), but police think the people who did it may have set up similar devices all along I-95.
The device was in place for most of the day Sunday. The thieves increased their number of victims by putting a simple piece of paper that said "out of service" on the drive-up machine to force everyone to go to the walk-up ATM with the skimmer device attached.
At 9:00am Sunday, security cameras caught a Honda CRV at the Bank of America on Clyde Morris Boulevard (see images). Two men got out and one approached the ATM with a large electronic device, then stood there and attached it.
Six minutes, later the car pulled around to the drive-up ATM and the man slapped an out of service sign on it and drove off. People were directed toward the compromised ATM all day, until a bank employee took a closer look at it nearly seven hours later.
"Something was out of place and she thought something was wrong and called her boss, got a hold of security and found out it was, in fact, a skimmer," said Paul Barnett, Daytona Beach Police Department.
The skimmer was taped over the ATM card slot. Behind it was a sophisticated set of electronics that copied the cards. The keyboard was even more difficult to notice. Even the decals were the same, but, underneath, an antenna was set up to transmit keystrokes and PIN numbers to the thieves.
"It's got a battery attached to it, it's got an antenna attached to it. It doesn't really look like something you'd make in your garage. It's pretty high-tech," Barnett said.
The device appears similar to what was found on a Cocoa Beach Bank of America in January. Dozens of people were victimized at gas stations in Palm Coast in February. Another Bank of America was the target spot for thieves in New Smyrna Beach in late 2008.
There have been picture in all of the cases, including pictures of suspects using the stolen cards, but no arrests. Police in Daytona Beach so far don't have any reports from anyone who has noticed money missing from their account.
Persons with information may text "CRIMES" (274637) with a cell phone or log on to www.dbpd.us and click on Anonymous Web Tips. When using a cell phone, all messages should begin with "DBTIPS." Tipsters remain anonymous.
Previous Stories: February 11, 2010: Drivers Losing Money Due To 'Card Skimmers' February 5, 2010: Clear Photo Taken Of ATM 'Skimming' Suspect September 15, 2009: 2 Arrested In Credit Card 'Skimming' Scheme
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