Card ‘skimmers’ placed on store ATMs in South Hills
BRIDGEVILLE – Card “skimmers” designed to steal personal banking information from debit cards were placed on automated teller machines inside at least two convenience stores in the South Hills over the weekend.
South Fayette police Sgt. Mike Wesolek said a man walked into the GetGo convenience store at 3029 Washington Pike near Bridgeville shortly after 7 a.m. Saturday and placed the skimmer on the ATM machine.
Wesolek said the man then went to another GetGo gas station in Carnegie and installed a similar device on the ATM. Investigators think he may have gone to other convenience stores in the South Hills, but Wesolek did not know the other locations.
“You can see him at the machine, acting like he gets money out,” Wesolek said. “But at one point he places it on the machine.”
A customer at the GetGo in South Fayette noticed the skimmer at 10 a.m. Saturday – about three hours after it was placed on that machine – and notified the store manager and contacted police.
“We (found) our device because of a person who was scammed before,” Wesolek said. “Every time he goes to use an ATM or pay at the pump, he checks the slot. He found this and called us right away.”
Wesolek said the skimmer, which was designed to fit seamlessly onto the ATMs at GetGo stores, was held on by two-sided tape. He urged people to look closely at credit card or debit readers at ATMs or gas station pumps to ensure a foreign device has not been placed over the intake slot.
“Keep your wits about you and before you stick your card into any reader, just check it,” Wesolek said. “It was a good look-alike, but only held on by double-sided tape.
“Just check the machines for anything abnormal.”
A phone call to Giant Eagle’s media department was not immediately returned Thursday.
South Fayette police released a surveillance photograph from the GetGo near Bridgeville showing the suspect, who was wearing a yellow ball cap and light blue jacket.
Anyone with information on the suspect is asked to call South Fayette police at 412-221-2170.
Anyone who used the ATM machines at the two convenience stores is being advised to monitor purchases or contact their bank.