Skimming device found in supermarket ATM
An alert customer’s suspicions were aroused when he saw that his card had been returning slower than usual from the AIB machine on the wall of the Tesco supermarket, Beech Road, at about 1.45pm.
A garda spokesman described the device in the form of a false front to the machine as “very sophisticated”.
He said it was a carbon copy of the type featured on a recent Crimeline programme on RTÉ television.
The device was fitted over the slot where the card enters the machine. It was the same colour as the machine and a camera recorded card numbers which were then transmitted to a laptop computer somewhere in the vicinity.
A search is underway for the laptop. Gardaí could not say how much money, if any, had been taken from the bank accounts of people whose numbers had been recorded by the device.
“It’s too early in the investigation to know that, but anyone who used this ATM yesterday up to 1.45pm should contact their banks in case money has been falsely withdrawn from their accounts,” the spokesman said.
Up to 10 gardaí were involved in the 20-minute operation to remove the device, which is being forensically examined.
“We’re advising people to be extremely careful when using ATMs, especially at this time of the year when they may be using the machines more often than usual and withdrawing more cash,” the spokesman said.
“People should always place a hand over the hand they’re using to key in their numbers so that the numbers can’t be recorded on a camera fitted by criminals.”
It is believed a number of gangs of non-nationals are involved in ATM scams around the country.
