Wellesley Police: ATM Skimming Thief Stole Thousands

BOSTON (CBS) - ATM users in the Wellesley area beware. There's a scam going on that could cost you. "We've already got several victims," says Dpt. Police Chief Bill Brooks.

Someone with intricate knowledge of technology has affixed a phony ATM card plate on the front of a bank machine, and when a customer puts their ATM card in to withdraw money, the phony plate records the magnetic card strip information.

WBZ-TV's Bill Shields reports.

At the same time, a micro camera, hidden overhead, records the customer punching in the pin information, and all of this is beamed to the scam artist, sitting in a nearby parking lot, downloading it with a laptop. He can then make an ATM card of his own, with the customer's information, and withdraw money.

"One woman had 18-hundred dollars stolen over a couple of days, " said Dpt. Chief Brooks.

A year ago, Quincy police arrested a man doing the same thing. But before they could get to the hi-tech thief, he had already stolen thousands of dollars from ATM customers, without them knowing, until they found out they had no money left in their accounts.