CBS2 Exclusive: ATM Skimmer Found In Howell Tied To Over 100 Fraudulent Transactions
October 19, 2017 7:22 PM
Monmouth County
HOWELL, N.J. (CBSNewYork) — Police in New Jersey are warning bank customers to be on the lookout for an ATM skimming scam.
Howell Township Police said two men have made over 100 fraudulent transactions in Monmouth County, and stolen the debit card numbers of just as many.
“These are professionals, not just two guys got together try to scam people. This is an elaborate, complex, international scheme,” Christian Antunez told CBS2’s Meg Baker.
They do it with external skimming devices at locations you might think are the safest — your local bank.
The Howell branch of the Manasquan bank first noticed that someone smeared something on the security camera lens.
“When we started to put everything together we realized that so far here in Howell Township, about thirty to forty-thousand dollars of fraudulent withdrawals,” Antunez said.
The accounts were foreign, mostly Canadian.
Police recovered a skimmer from the branch in Manasquan in early September. Evidence shows it was in place for three days stealing personal information from dozens of customers.
“That’s my bank, so kind of worrying,” Tom Kosch said.
Police suspect the cards and pins recorded in New Jersey will be used out of state or in a different country.
“I always pull my account up every day to check it because I’m paranoid about that kind of stuff anyway,” Kosch said.
It’s suspected that the perpetrators may be from New York.
“They rented a car at a rental agency in Brooklyn,” Antunez said.
And they used a fake Italian license with the name Michelle Toto to do it.
Police are hoping someone recognizes the criminals and advises people to pull on the ATM, if it’s fake it won’t be secured very well.
Authorities believe their lead on the suspects could open up investigations in other New Jersey counties — one case in Middlesex County has already been tied to the scam.