Police warn of possible string of Milwaukee area ATM skimmers

Greenfield Police need help identifying a man they believe installed a bank card skimmer into an ATM at the Educators Credit Union.

The suspect installed the device last week, and a few days later, the Mount Pleasant Police Department caught two men, who hid their skimming device in flowers, and used a knife to put it inside the card reader.

Greenfield Detective Sergeant Scott Zienkiewicz says, there could be more to come. Bank skimmers are often part of criminal organizations, that tend to hit one area hard and then move on.

"There could absolutely be more of these people out there," Zienkiewicz said. "They work in groups. And at this point we don't know how many could be in the group, but be aware of your surroundings."

Zienkiewicz says to be on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary when you swipe a card into an ATM, and that it's a good idea to check your bank statements regularly.

The group ATM Industry Association says their annual fraud survey found skimming is still the number one source of fraud at ATMs, and the criminal technology just used in the Milwaukee area is difficult to detect.

"We're seeing an increase in the number of devices that are inserted into the card reader itself, which means that you can't see it." said ATMIA USA Director David Tente. "You don't know it's there. And even if you know what you're looking for, and have the tools to do it, it is very difficult to do so."

Greenfield PD asks anyone with information on possible skimmers report suspicious activity to police. You can call Crimestoppers to remain anonymous.