Police warn ATM users of scammer Irvine...

Police warn ATM users of scammer

Irvine police have alerted area residents about an automatic

teller machine scam in which a thief rigs the bank machines so

customers’ credit or ATM cards get stuck inside.

Such crimes have occurred at several ATM locations, including

Costa Mesa, police said. Police released a crime warning on June 10.

The scammer has used the same mode of operation in each of the

incidents, officials said. First, he would sabotage the machine with

plastic objects or adhesive tape so the victim’s card gets jammed. He

would linger near the victim and, in an act of aid, suggest entering

the pin number and hit the cancel button, police said.

He would then note the pin number and appear like he was leaving.

After the frustrated victim leaves with the card still in the

machine, the thief would return, retrieve the card from the machine

and use it in other ATMs to steal cash from that victim’s account,

police said.

Officials believe the scammer is a man between 25 and 30 years

old, with dark hair, dark eyes, about 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighing

about 180 pounds. He was said to be wearing a dark-colored baseball

cap with a Mercedes-Benz logo on the front. Victims also observed

that the man wore dark-rimmed glasses and had a dark goatee.

Police said he was possibly driving a dark-colored Chevy Suburban

or GMC Yukon XL with chrome wheels, rear double doors and a roof

rack.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Irvine Police

Department at (949) 724-7000 or Investigator Anita Reid-Green at

(949) 724-7170.