Nassau police investigate credit card skimming devices

Beware the next time you swipe your card.

 In February alone, Long Island residents discovered four devices attached to ATMs and gas pumps intended to obtain credit and debit card information. Detective Vincent Garcia from the Nassau County Police Department’s Public Information Office said there are currently no suspects for any of the incidents; the investigation is ongoing.

The most recent devices were discovered on Feb. 11 at the Gulf Gas Station on Northern Boulevard in Roslyn and the Mobile Gas Station approximately two miles down the road in Greenvale. A service company technician found credit card skimming devices at the two local stations after a card owner reported fraudulent charges to a credit card that he only uses at that station.

After finding a skimming device attached to a pump, the technician searched other stations and found a second device at the Mobile Gas Station approximately two miles down the road in Greenvale.

The same day, an employee at the Apple Bank for Savings in Carle Place found a skimming device attached to the ATM during a routine inspection.

Belwinder Singh, owner of the Greenvale Mobile station, said he was shocked when the technician found the skimming device.

 “We were all so stunned,” Singh said. “We’ve never seen something like that. It’s really so scary.”

Singh now takes extra precautions at his gas station to keep his customers cards safe. He has placed round-the-clock cameras attached to each pump, Singh has asked his employees to stay alert.

“During the daytime, we have three to four employees on the station premises,” Singh said. “We asked the night guys and the day cashiers to be extra vigilant.”

The Nassau County Police Department recommends that customers who frequent these affected businesses check their card statements and report any fraudulent charges.

Blanch Zelez, a 63-year-old resident of Valley Stream, said she uses her cards as little as possible.

“It’s safer to just pay with cash,” she said.

Skimming devices can be attached to ATMs or other machines with credit card scanners. The devices pick up information that makes the victim susceptible to credit fraud or identity theft.

“When [the criminal] places the skimming device over the slot, it supersedes the bank’s device and gets the card information before the bank does,” Garcia said.

 Garcia suggests covering the keypad on ATMs when entering a PIN number. Sometimes very tiny and hard-to-detect pinhole cameras are placed near the keypad, allowing criminals to steal PIN numbers and card information.

He also recommends tugging at the card reader slot before entering a card. Garcia said many criminals attach skimming devices with two-sided tape, so the device should come off the front of the machine fairly easily.

On Jan. 29, a skimming device at a Capitol One Bank in Valley Stream fell off into the hands of a customer who was trying to use the ATM.

Police are asking the public to inspect ATMs before inserting a card and to report any suspicious findings.

“If you see something that just doesn’t look right, don’t use it,” Garcia said.

To report information, call the Crimes Against Property Squad at (516) 735–5275 or, to remain anonymous, call 1-800-244-TIPS.