Connecticut police have apprehended three individuals in relation to ATM skimming incidents that have occurred across several towns.
Connecticut State Police Statewide Organized Crime Investigative Task Force detectives were informed by Liberty Bank on Wednesday about an ATM skimming crew that had been discovered. The crew was identified after several individuals reported unauthorized charges on their debit cards.
According to reports, Liberty Bank discovered that two individuals had been using their debit accounts multiple times from the same location in Newington. They had made several attempted and completed ATM transactions. Similar incidents were also found to have occurred in Berlin and West Hartford.
During their investigation, state police came across a vehicle in surveillance footage at various financial institutions and businesses that had third-party ATMs. The vehicle in question was a BMW X5 SUV with a California license plate. Authorities discovered that the vehicle was actually a rental from Los Angeles International Airport and it was already nine days past its return date.
The manufacturer of the vehicle cooperated with investigators by providing the GPS location. After conducting surveillance, it was discovered that the vehicle was parked at the valet entrance of a luxury apartment building in Hartford. Later on, the vehicle was found stationary at different ATMs. During the investigation, authorities seized a skimming device from one of these ATMs.
In the evening, the vehicle was spotted entering a bank on the Silas Deane Highway in Wethersfield. Detectives swiftly gathered around the vehicle and apprehended two individuals. Although the driver attempted to escape on foot, they were soon located and taken into custody.
State police have reported that three individuals have been arrested in connection with the incident. The suspects include a 22-year-old man from France, a 26-year-old man from France, and a 23-year-old man from Romania.
During the search of the rental car, state police made a significant discovery. They uncovered a variety of tools commonly associated with skimming activities, including a keypad overlay device designed to capture PIN codes, spare SD cards, and payment cards with magnetic strips. Notably, they also found gift cards belonging to individuals who were not occupants of the vehicle. Furthermore, an object believed to be a deep-insert skimming device was recovered. State police also came across additional generic bank cards that contained sensitive financial information.
All three individuals are currently confronted with a range of charges, including identity theft, computer crime, larceny, and fraudulent use of an ATM. Each of them has been detained on a bond amounting to $500,000 and is scheduled to appear in court on Monday.
