EAST ELMHURST — ATM users are being urged to “yank” on their machine before using it to check for skimming devices, which have stolen banking info from more than 50 people throughout the local precinct since October, police said.
Bank machines around the 115th Precinct have been the target of fraudsters who install high-tech devices that record card numbers and PIN codes, according to Lt. Steve Weiss.
There have been 55 grand larcenies traced back to ATM skimming machines since October, he said — a 46 percent spike compared with this time last year.
“I yank on every ATM that I put my card into,” Weiss said at the monthly 115th Precinct Community Council meeting on Tuesday, where he warned residents about the problem.
He pulls on the card reader after inserting the ATM card to check for the illegal machines, he said — essentially "yanking" it to see if there's anything loose added to it.
To further prevent fraud, he also suggested downloading an app on your phone that alerts you for every withdrawl, which can help you quickly close an account if your card is compromised.
The NYPD has posted warnings on machines around Jackson Heights, East Elmhurst and Corona — particularly in 7-Elevens, where the CitiBank machines have been a target, he said.
Mike Patel, the manager of the 7-Eleven at 87-16 Astoria Blvd., said they’ve been checking their two machines over the last year since the NYPD warned them.
“We check with our hand to make sure there’s no artificial machine on it,” he said.
Weiss also detailed just how the machines are used to steal data — and how quickly it can happen.
A tiny camera attached to the machine is activated once you swipe into the ATM, which records the secret PIN used to access your bank account, he said. The machine also copies the number on an ATM card.
After a few days the swindler comes back for the machine, sorts through the data and then replicates ATM cards, usually from stolen gift cards that are replaced with bank card numbers, Weiss said.
They take money out “until you shut the card down,” he said.
And even though the precinct has made arrests this year related to skimming, more and more continue to pop up, he said.
The crimes are currently being investigated by their identity theft division, according to the precinct.
