After 4 arrests, LI police warn of ATM thieves

You may want to look twice the next time you use an ATM, even if it's inside a bank.

Police say criminals are increasingly using the cash machines to steal customers' account information and make off with hundreds of thousands of dollars. And this week, they announced the arrest of four people who are accused of running such a scheme.

The trick is simple, officials said. Criminals mount card scanning devices that fit over ATM card slots to capture victims' account numbers and then record their victims typing in their personal identification numbers through tiny hidden cameras placed on the top of the ATM as victims withdraw cash.

The devices look like regular machine parts and can be hard to detect, police said. Some criminals even insert card scanning devices onto ATM door card slots that steal victims' information as victims swipe themselves into enclosed areas before using the ATM.

"We would urge the public to be extra vigilant," said Jay Caputo, chief of detectives for Nassau police. "We can't emphasize it enough; check your account."

In Nassau, police arrested four Queens suspects on Aug. 25 after, officials said, the group mounted cameras and card scanning devices in more than 50 banks across the tri-state area. The majority of ATMs affected in Nassau were in banks, police said, including about nine Bank of Americas branch ATMs. Police said Bank of America is doing an internal investigation.

Caputo said the ATM frauds are "becoming more and more of a common offense."

Det. Jeff Marshall, from Nassau's crimes against property squad, said ATMs remain fully functional after being fitted with the devices and will allow customers to withdraw money without problems.

The suspects in Nassau's latest case are identified as Gheorghe Constantin, 57, and Codruta Constantin, 32, both of Whitestone; Sorin Mircea Braester, 31, of Elmhurst; and Redford Odina, 21, of Ridgewood.

Police said the four, who are accused of building the devices themselves, stole more than $200,000 from November through last month by using the stolen account information to make fake gift cards for themselves.

Authorities began their investigation after victims noticed fraudulent activity on their accounts. Customers alerted their banks, which then contacted police, according to Diane Peress, chief of Nassau district attorney's economic crimes bureau.

For more than a year, officials from Nassau police, the Nassau and Queens district attorney's offices, the U.S. Secret Service, and the Greenwich, Conn., Police Department worked on the case, Caputo said.

While serving a search warrant on the suspects, authorities found more than $37,000 in cash, card encoding devices, and tools used to construct the devices, Caputo said.

The suspects were arraigned at First District Court in Hempstead on Aug. 26 and face charges that include second-degree grand larceny. "It is vital that the public is aware of how to protect themselves," Caputo said.

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF

— Cover your fingers with your opposite hand when entering your pin number.

— Tug lightly on card slots at ATMs before swiping your card to make sure it has not been tampered with.

— Check your account activity often for suspicious activity.

— Alert police and your bank if you suspect someone has fraudulently accessed your account.

SOURCE: Nassau County Police