ATM Skimming Victims Lose $50K (Video)

wgrz.com | Buffalo, NY | ATM Skimming Victims Lose More Than $50,000

The United States Attorneys Office announced Tuesday it's prosecuting a Romanian man for stealing more than $50,000 through a scam known as ATM skimming.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Mango said Tiberiu Szebeni, 29, used an electronic faceplate, known as a skimmer, to steal account information from ATM customers. Typically, the device sits on top of the slot in which bank cards are inserted.

"When you put your card into the ATM, it passes through this skimming device, and the skimming device then records all of the information on your card," Mango explained.

Once the thieves have that information, all they need is your pin number. Mango said that's typically obtained through the use of a tiny, pinhole camera with a view of the keypad, but he said thieves may also utilize a high-powered, zoom camera stationed somewhere in the distance.

Mango said once Szebeni obtained both the account and pin numbers, he transferred that information to empty store gift cards. Then, by using the magnetic strip in each card, Mango said Szebeni essentially turned each one into a clone of the original ATM card.

Federal prosecutors have charged Szebeni with use of a fraudulent access device with intent to defraud. Secret Service agents arrested him at the Rainbow Bridge on March 31st after a tip from a Rochester resident led them to the Romanian citizen.

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ATM Skimming, Card Skimming, Skimming Device