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Skimming device targeted Delaware County banks

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November 9, 2020

Unauthorized cash withdrawals from ATMs that compromised hundreds of Delaware County bank customer accounts in 2019, has led authorities to a federal bank fraud arrest, according to a release in Press Connects.

Fraudulent activity was linked to two Sidney Federal Credit Union ATMs and some 523 customer accounts were believed to have been affected, resulting in thousands in losses around Labor Day weekend in 2019, according to court records.

The FBI investigated and charged Nicolae Mares, a man with past arrests related to grand larceny and card skimming in the New York City area. Mares, whose age and last known address weren't listed in records, was charged with a federal felony count of bank fraud.

When questioned by law enforcement, Mares said he traveled around skimming information from ATMs while working for an unnamed person and received 20-25% of each transaction which he spent it largely on crack cocaine.