Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Pair charged in ATM theft cases

TWO Winnipeg men in their 30s face more than 150 criminal charges after a lengthy police investigation into tampering with automated teller machines.

Since the fall of 2009, the Winnipeg Police Service commercial crime unit has been made aware of at least 38 incidents involving tampering with ATMs, resulting in payment card data and personal identification numbers being obtained from customers using the machines, says Const. Jacqueline Chaput.

Chaput said the men would allegedly approach the machine, cover the surveillance camera with paper and place an overlay device over the card slot. This device would subsequently read and store the customer's card data as the card was passed through the overlay and into the legitimate card slot.

A pinhole camera placed above the keypad would then record the customers entering their personal identification numbers. In some instances, the suspects wore disguises to try to conceal their identity, Chaput said.

Police believe financial institutions lost more than $200,000, but the total potential exposure could exceed $1 million.

The two men are facing a long list of charges, including possessing credit card data, possessing instruments for forgery and possessing proceeds of crime.

They have been released on a promise to appear.

 

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition March 12, 2010 B2

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