World

Second scam device uncovered at Wells Fargo ATM in a week

Police are urging anyone who may have used the ATM to change their pin

 Thieves are targeting cash machine users with skimmers
The skimming device was the second found at the same ATM over the space of a week.
By Mark Robinson

A second ATM skimmer device has been identified at an ATM at a Wells Fargo bank in South Pasadena, California, just days after one was removed.

South Pasadena Police say that they believe the second skimmer was placed inside the ATM at the Wells Fargo on the 1000 block of Fair Oaks Avenue on August 22 or 23 between 5pm and 9:15am.

A similar incident took place earlier in the week when a skimmer was found at the same ATM and believed to have been placed there on August 20 or 21.

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The first device was likely placed between 5:30pm and 8:30am on those dates.

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The Irish Central Bank has fined a subsidiary of Wells Fargo €5.88m for "serious failings" in its regulatory reporting
Scammers are believed to have placed the device inside an ATM at a Wells Fargo bank in South Pasadena, California.

Skimmers are scamming devices which are designed to look like card readers and capture data from the magnetic stripe of debit and credit cards – this includes the PIN number of the cardholder.

Richard Lee, Crime Prevention Officer at South Pasadena Police, said, “Like the previous incident, the suspect was not able to retrieve the skimmer.”

“It is unknown if the suspects were able to obtain any information.”

Officer Lee also said he would advise anyone who may have used the ATM recently to monitor their accounts and keep any eye out for any suspicious activity.

“As a precaution, consider changing your PIN,” he added.

He also advised customers to watch out for other scam devices at ATMs, including hidden cameras and covers over card readers which may come off when pulled.

“Before using an ATM, look closely at the machine,” Lee said. “Thieves usually place a façade over [a] card reader and will come off if pulled.”

An investigation is now underway and police are encouraging people to report any suspicious devices to authorities.