News

ATM skimming scam spreading across Wales

March 4, 2004

WALES - Police have warned that an ATM skimming scam is spreading across Wales.

According to a BBC News report, South Wales Police were the first force to find skimming devices attached to ATMs to clone cards, but eight cases have since been reported in Llanelli, west Wales.

Detectives from Dyfed-Powys Police said customers discovered large amounts of money stolen from their accounts, and they have warned anyone using an ATM to check to see whether they have had any unauthorized withdrawals.

It is feared that the machines have been used to gain the details of hundreds of accounts in recent weeks, according to the BBC.

In the past week, 15 people have told South Wales Police about missing funds from their accounts as a result of cloning. One one man had £3,500 (U.S. $6,460) stolen from his account.

"This is a very sophisticated way of accessing account details and there is a great deal of concern about it," said Detective Constable Terry Stevens. "This is organized crime by gangs which we suspect originate from London, possibly Eastern European gangs."

As well as checking statements, Stevens urged ATM users to be vigilant when using the machines.

"Be wary if the card slot on the ATM seems unsecured or protrudes unusually, or if there is anything unusual attached to it that wasn't there before like a small bin," he said. "And alert the bank to anything which looks suspicious."