A special task force of federal, Westchester County and local law enforcement officers has arrested five people in connection with an ATM skimming scheme that resulted in $1 million in fraud in multiple Westchester communities.

The five suspects were arrested in recent weeks by a multi-agency ATM Skimming Task Force made up of police officers from the Westchester County Department of Public Safety, the U.S. Secret Service and nine local police departments in Westchester. The task force is continuing its investigation into a number of additional ATM skimming cases.

Public Safety Commissioner George N. Longworth created the task force following incidents of ATM skimming fraud that were occurring around Westchester.  Along with the county police and U.S. Secret Service, the Pelham, Rye, Greenburgh, Bronxville and Yorktown police departments assigned officers to the task force.

The task force was assisted in various investigations by officers from the Yonkers, Peekskill, Hastings-on-Hudson, Dobbs Ferry and Tarrytown police departments.

“This is a large-scale fraud being perpetrated by a sophisticated group of thieves,” Longworth said. “We decided to bring together some of the best and brightest investigators from multiple agencies to address this problem.”

County Executive Robert P. Astorino praised the work of the task force and said it reinforced the benefits of partnership and teamwork among Westchester’s law enforcement community. He also urged consumers to be especially alert to fraud during the upcoming holiday shopping season.

“Whether it is ATM skimming or other schemes, criminals are always looking for ways to take advantage of shoppers during the busy holiday season,” he said. “The police are working hard to stay ahead of criminals but shoppers need to be vigilant as well. Suspicious activity should be reported to local or county police.”

In the ATM skimming fraud, thieves attached a device known as a “dip reader” over the legitimate device installed on ATMs for customers to insert their ATM, debit or credit cards. The “dip reader,” which appears identical to the legitimate device and fits over it, then captures all the information contained on a bank card’s magnetic strip.

The thieves also install a pinhole camera above the ATM key pad to capture the customer’s personal identification number (PIN).With the information from the magnetic strip and the PIN, the thieves are then able to withdraw cash from their victims’ bank accounts.

“Thieves using an ATM skimmer and pinhole camera obtained the full information from 350 customers on a recent Sunday at a single bank ATM.  They later withdrew $1,000 from each victim’s account – resulting in $350,000 in loses on a single day,” Longworth said.

Noting that thieves need both the magnetic strip information and the PIN, Astorino said bank customers could protect themselves by taking simple precautions.

“When you type in your PIN, use your other hand to shield the keypad and block the view of any hidden camera that may be there,” he said.  He also urged customers to be aware of people standing behind them who may be trying to watch them type their PIN.

The five people arrested recently were each charged with Criminal Possession of Forgery Devices, a felony. They are:

  • Richard Merca, 19, of Palatine, Ill., who was arrested Nov. 13 in connection with an attempted skimming fraud at a bank inside the Jefferson Valley Mall in Yorktown Heights;
  • Victor Vdila, 21, of Astoria, Queens, who was arrested Oct. 16 in connection with an attempted skimming fraud at a bank on Central Park Avenue in Yonkers;
  • Istvan Casplar, 29, and Florinel Gavat, 40, both of Astoria, Queens, who were arrested Oct. 23 in connection with an attempted skimming fraud at a bank on East Hartsdale Avenue in Greenburgh.
  • Ionut Vasilas, 23, of Chicago was arrested Nov. 6 in connection with an attempted skimming fraud at a bank on South Broadway in Tarrytown.