ATM Skimmers Caught

Be still Gothamist's beating heart: Two men have been arrested for placing an "ATM skimming" device onto an ATM in Elmont. The men stoles the account and PIN numbers from a Bank of America branch and took $2500 dollars from ATMs in Manhattan, Rosedale, and Queens. Newsday reports that a witness saw the pair remove the skimming device from the Elmont ATM and followed their car until police stopped them on Queens Boulevard. Go concerned witness! This is exactly the kind of story that gives Gothamist ulcers, as we hear stories about ATM skimming all the time and try to inspect ATMs as best we can, but we don't really know what we're looking for. And sometimes we really need the cash, but there was the recent City Council warning that ATMs in bodegas are highly susceptible to identity theft (City Councilman Eric Gioia says not to be suspicious of the bodega owner, as it's a problem with the vendor).

Urban Legends has helpful pictures that show what skimming devices can look like.