A NEW and nearly undetectable skimmer device can steal all your credit card information in seconds.
Police are shocked at how sneaky the skimmers are, leading to an urgent warning.
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The latest skimmer device is a thin piece of plastic that can clone credit card data and is hidden inside card readers with a small camera to track PINs.
Detective Andre Nikolov of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department discovered the device and a crime family they beleive to be connected to it, Fox affiliate KTVI.
The camera is hidden in a small pinhole in the plastic.
SNEAKY DEVICE
The skimmer devices were intricately made by hand as well.
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”I was surprised how small it is,” Nikolov told KTVI.
“And that they were homemade.”
The skimmer would be hard to catch at first sight.
But you can look out for any stranger small holes or plastic that is sticking out.
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St. Louis has previously been targeted by Romanian organized crime, including jewel thefts and sleight of hand theft rings, according to police.
Police said a Romanian family allegedly was the culprit behind these handmade skimmers too, KTVI reported.
“After going through different videos, coordinating with different agencies all over the country, we found that it was a Romanian crime family,” Nikolov said.
The suspects also use fake identification frequently which has made it hard for cops to properly ID them.
“They also use a lot of fake identification, so their names are different,” Nikolov said.
“They might actually get arrested in one name but that’s not actually who they are.”
WATCH OUT/INFORM COPS
Police have warned people in St. Louis to check their bank account for any suspicious activity.
You should call your bank to report any fraud and hopefully be refunded.
What is a skimmer device?
A skimmer device is a fraud tool designed to steal sensitive information from credit or debit cards during transactions.
- Imagine a skimmer device as a sneaky thief that hides on ATMs or card machines.
- Its job is to secretly steal your credit or debit card information when you use it for a transaction.
- These devices are like tiny spies that can copy your card details, including the card number and PIN, without you even realizing it.
- Skimmers can be cleverly disguised to look just like the regular card reader, making them hard to spot.
- Once they have your information, bad guys can use it to make fake cards or buy things without your permission, causing a lot of trouble and stress.
- It’s important to always be cautious and check for anything unusual on card machines before using them to protect yourself from these sneaky devices.
It has been urged that people who have fraud charges inform the police as well.
Police want to keep track of these crimes and hopefully catch the people behind them when they pop up.
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“If we don’t know about it, we can’t hold people accountable for it,” Nikolov said.
“A lot of times what these guys are doing is they’re going to use the ATM and they’re doing inquiries just to see how much money is in there.”
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https://www.the-sun.com/news/11793492/new-skimmer-steal-money-hidden-card-reader-warning/