For the second time in four weeks, someone tried to attach a skimming device to an ATM at a Darien bank, and in this case, the thief was successful, and money was later removed from a customer’s account.
The device was attached sometime between 2:15 p.m., Feb. 11 and 11 p.m., Feb. 12 to an automated teller machine at Darien Bank & Trust at 777 Post Road (at the intersection with Sedgwick Avenue), according to police.
In the previous incident, on Jan. 20, a skimmer scammer tried but failed to attach a skimming device to an ATM at Fairfield County Bank, not far away at 714 Post Road. He returned later to use the same ATM to withdraw thousands of dollars from victims’ accounts.
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See also:
- How to Lower Your Chance of Getting Scammed by an ATM Skimming Device (Feb. 22)
- Skimming device found on ATM in Glenbrook, police say (Stamford Advocate, Oct. 16, 2016)
- Darien Resident’s Credit Card Info Stolen, Money from Account Drained in NYC, California (Feb. 22)
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Darien police gave this account of the incident:
Darien Bank & Trust management was contacted by an outside monitoring agency that keeps track of ATM withdrawals and locations, looking for suspicious activity. The agency told the bank on Feb. 13 that there was an abnormal activity on a customer account at a stand-alone ATM “in New York” (the police report was unclear whether that meant New York City or New York state).
Two withdrawals, apparently from one account, were made for $500 each and then a third for $400. Together with $9 in withdrawal fees, the total loss from the theft was $1,409.
The Darien bank management then determined that a skimming device had been attached to the walk-up ATM on the outside of the branch building. (How the monitoring agency’s report led to that discovery wasn’t clear in the police report.)
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Surveillance video showed a white male, about 5 feet, 8 inches in height, with average build and wearing a gray, hooded sweatshirt and black rimmed glasses (but holding his hand over his face) installing the skimming device at about 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 11.
More surveillance video shows the man returning at 10:30 a.m. the next day for some unknown reason. On that occasion, he had a blue scarf over his face. The police report seemed to indicate that the withdrawals in New York were somehow connected to skimming off the ATM.
Police investigating the theft think it’s possible that the same person shown on the video was responsible for ATM skimming at a Stamford bank in January.
SIDEBAR:
News Articles About Skimming Devices in Connecticut Since Jan. 20
Just since Jan. 20, these news stories have been published about ATM skimming devices found in Connecticut (the first article has a lot of background information on the problem:
- MANCHESTER: ATM Thieves ‘Skimming’ for Dollars (Hartford Courant, Jan. 20)
- PLAINFIELD: Connecticut State Police investigate placement of skimming devices on 2 ATMs in Plainfield (Masslive.com., Jan. 25)
- MOOSUP, CANTERBURY: State Police Search for ATM Skimming Suspects (WTNH-TV News, Jan. 25)
- WEST HARTFORD: West Hartford Police Investigating Skimming Device on ATM (WTNH-TV News, Feb. 7)
- WILTON (devices in NORWALK and TRUMBULL): Alleged member of crime ring charged with ID theft, forgery (Norwalk Hour, Feb. 8)