CAPE CORAL, Fla. -- Cape Coral Police are warning residents about ATM skimmers popping up in Southwest Florida.
Customers at local banks couldn't tell the difference between an untempered ATM and a picture of a card skimmer, Thursday. Cape Coral Police tell Fox 4 scam artists are good at making the devices blend in with a regular ATM machine. "The finish or the color might be off from the machine, although I'm pretty sure they try to match it," said Cpl. Phil Mullen at CCPD.
When in place, ATM overlays often come with a hidden camera to capture your pin after swiping. Some would never think to look. "It's new as far as me knowing there's a possible camera above," said Tom from Cape Coral.
Underneath the piece of plastic could be a sophisticated card reader. Because they are only installed temporarily, the devices aren't glued on to the machine very strongly. Cpl. Mullen suggests giving the card slider a wiggle to make sure a piece doesn't come loose, indicating it's been tampered with. "Another thing you can do is call your bank and see if they check the machines every day," he said.
If you suspect an ATM has been tampered with, call your area police department immediately so they can collect the machine for evidence.
