Skimming Device Found on ATM Machine at Inova Hospital in Falls Church
Fairfax County police have not made any arrests and say this crime in on the rise.
Photos
Fairfax County police are looking for the people who placed a skimmer on an ATM machine at the Inova Fairfax Hospital Cardiac Care Center some time in August.
Lucy Caldwell, a county police spokeswoman, said detectives believe the device was placed on the machine in late August. A customer who contacted security immediately spotted the skimming device on the ATM machine at the hospital, Caldwell said.
Caldwell said police don’t know how many people were affected. Thousands of dollars have been stolen from the accounts of people who used the machine since August. Police removed the device Wednesday, Caldwell said.
“Anybody who has used that ATM is potentially a victim,” Caldwell said. “It is important for people to check their accounts frequently.”
Police started looking into this issue after complaints about fraudulent expenses started coming in from victims. Caldwell said the alleged suspects primarily used the accounts to get cash from other ATM machines.
Police say this crime is on the rise and they urge people that have used the machine in late August through Sept. 12, 2012 to check their statements closely. If there is a discrepancy, people should contact their bank and police at 703-691-2131. They may also make an online report or learn more about financial crime scams at http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/police/financialcrimes/.
Stuff
8:53 am on Friday, September 14, 2012
I would like to suggest that Fairfax County officials and the Police department recommend the following to banks who set these up at various locations: Ask bank employees or contracted companies who replenish the machines with cash to also at that time, check them thoroughly for these skimmers. It appears that they may not be that difficult to detect if a customer spotted this particular one in question. It seems reasonable to ask those bank employees or contractors that work with these machines on a regular basis to thoroughly check them rather than rely on consumers, who may only use them sporadically, to spot them.