Westminster police and the Secret Service have determined that a suspicious device found at an area bank is a skimming device.
The information-stealing device was found April 23 on the ground next to a First Bank ATM at West 94th Avenue and Sheridan Boulevard. The ATM was last serviced on March 22, but police can’t determined how long the skimmer was on the ATM.
The device, which was attached to the ATM scanner using some sort of adhesive, has been sent to a Secret Service laboratory for further examination.
Skimming devices read the “magnetic strip on an ATM, debit or credit card as it’s inserted into an ATM,” said a news release from Westminster investigators.
Detectives and the Secret Service believe this is the first ATM-skimming device found in the metro area that is self-powered and has the ability to scan and store information. Other, less sophisticated devices can trap and keep your card inside the machine for the perpetrator to recover later.
“It has not been determined what level of information this skimming device is capable of recording,” investigator Trevor Materasso said. But police say the culprits could use pilfered information to produce counterfeit cards and steal an individual’s identity and financial account information.
Authorities warn ATM users to be extremely cautious when withdrawing money.
The recovered skimming device was initially mistaken for a piece of the ATM that had fallen off.
“It doesn’t stand out; it doesn’t have blinking lights to get your attention,” Materasso said. “This type of device can be attached to any ATM, at any financial institution at any location.”
If an ATM machine keeps your card or appears to be have been tampered with, immediately report it to the bank.
Anthony Bowe: 303-954-1661 or abowe@denverpost.com
