Home NEWS Local Scene Skimming Device Gives Moraga Wells Fargo Customers Headaches Last Week

Skimming Device Gives Moraga Wells Fargo Customers Headaches Last Week

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Photo: File

An electronic debit card skimming device surreptitiously embedded on the Moraga Wells Fargo ATM machines may have briefly enriched its builder – netting them everything from sneakers to porn site subscriptions – but it was nothing but a headache for bank staff and the customers it victimized.

“We definitely have a case being investigated as fraudulent activity and believe it was the result of a skimmer,” a bank employee who asked to remain anonymous said Wednesday. “We have had a quite a few clients complain, there’s been a big flow of people…”

Several of those people reached out to this site after noticing some out of character purchases on their debit cards over the weekend, with crooks using their banking data to buy everything from pizza to sneakers. Others believe the device was in use well before that time, perhaps as early as Tuesday.

“In my case, the amount the bad guys tried to withdraw was just below my fairly high daily limit,” one client wrote. “However, the bank flagged it as it was about 8 times higher than my regular weekly withdrawal. Because I didn’t respond to Wells’ text alert at the time it was attempted, they denied the withdrawal.”

A family member wasn’t so lucky, the resident said.

“In the case of the other family member, the withdrawal went through, because it was near her regular withdrawal amount.  She has had to file a claim.”

Bank employees and some victims say they believe an arrest was made in connection with the case, but no one was able to say how the scanning scam was perpetrated and police have so far not confirmed if any arrests were actually made.

The wide range of purchases charged to victim’s cards and the locations where purchases were made suggest the banking data was stolen and then probably re-sold on the dark net, where people buying the data used it to buy goods in their respective area.

24 COMMENTS

  1. The bank will cover you in most cases but in some it can be a lengthy process to recover your money. Where was the skimmer?

  2. my understanding is that a pin is required with a debit card. therefore a camera would also have to be deployed in an awfully good spot to pick that up. Is that correct or no?

    • A PIN is required to withdraw cash from an ATM. There would have to be a camera (small, undetectable, nearby) to get your PIN. A PIN isn’t required to have a debit card. You can run transactions as a credit on your debit card.

  3. Moraga Chief King explained tonight at the Town Council meeting that they did arrest some at Wellsfargo who was in possession of fake cards. He said that this was clearly part of a bigger organized crime group and that the FBI was involved. He didn’t say the skimmer was at Wells Fargo he said that the cards skimmed and yes video for pin could happen anywhere. To check the card slot if its loose don’t use it. Also cover your pin with your other hand when entering.

    It sounded like we would likely continue to hear about these thefts as various police departments and the FBI continue to make arrests.

    • Or if you want to keep yourself from being scammed, go into the branch and withdraw money. And don’t pay at the pump at the gas station. Go inside. Or pay cash if you really want to protect yourself. Convenience doesn’t equate with safety and security.

      • “….pay cash if you really want to protect yourself”. So, how does carrying extra cash, as you suggest, help make you safer? It is nonsensical to carry extra property on your person to avoid misfortune. It also makes no sense to go to a bank teller every time you spend $20 so that you are not carrying excessive cash on you as you make each new transaction. THAT is why we have plastic cards.

        • It makes all the sense in the world to get cash from inside the branch. You won’t get scammed by a skimmer. And get more than $20 at a time. I haven’t used an ATM in years, and I don’t miss them. And banking with Wells Fargo is foolish.

          • Also – there is a personal safety risk at the ATM. Getting robbed. It happens all the time. Going into a branch is always safer. Inside the branch, it’s the bank that gets robbed, not the customer.

          • You didn’t answer the question. How does carrying extra cash make you safer? YOU said “Or pay cash if you really want to protect yourself.” Again, I ask, how does carrying extra cash make you safer?

          • You didn’t answer the question. Why does carrying extra cash on your person to make cash purchases make you safer?

          • Since you’re that dense – I’ll spell it out for you. It makes you safer financially. If your checking account is wiped out, your bills could bounce (mortgage, car payment, etc.). Or the bank can refuse to reimburse you.

            It also makes me safer (physically) not using the ATM. Anyone (especially women) are easy targets for robbery.

            Remember – you’re the one who has been scammed – (Moraga’s finest) not me.

            Debit cards aren’t that safe. Credit cards are – because it’s the banks money. Cash is safe, as long as you’re not carrying too much, and flashing it in public.

            A friend of mine was recently scammed (skimmer at ATM) and the bank refused to refund her money. Her loss was over $8K. She no longer uses a debit card. And she gets cash withdrawals inside the branch. And she doesn’t keep large amounts in her checking account, even if her mortgage is due.

            Do you get it now? And why are you asking the same question twice late at night? Please find a hobby, or make a late night run to the ATM. The branch isn’t open…

          • As to your last question, my posted reply appeared and later mysteriously disappeared from the thread so I posted it again a half hour later.

          • … another MoTown Mystery… we saw two, essentially identical posts. Posted the one with your name on it.

      • “Convenience doesn’t equate with safety and security.” Actually it does equate. It is an inverse relationship. The tradeoff is privacy and security for convenience. So, how does handing your debit card to a minimum wage stranger at a gas station desk help reduce skimming? It doesn’t. You think that Gilligan can’t skim cards? I have been using a debit card as long as there have been debit cards. The bank in question, WFB in Moraga, is my primary bank, and I am not a victim. If you cover your pin, and if you check your account regularly, your risk is minimal, and you have legal redress available. Contest errors and fraudulent transactions if/when you see them.

        • In a gas station, you pay CASH or you slide the card YOURSELF. I do it every week. I don’t hand my card to anybody when I shop, get gas, etc. They have machines where you do it yourself. That’s safety and security.

          You have legal redress with your credit card (banks money) but not the same protection with a debit card. You can be held liable for the first $50 or $500, depending on when your report the fraud.

          I’ve never been scammed, ripped off, etc. I’m victimless in my 50s. My strategy is obviously working for me. You do what you want. I couldn’t care less.

  4. This happened to me three times before Christmas. They hacked my temporary card before I could activate the new one. Skimmer on the ATM. My account was have things from Paris France and Germany and United kingdom. The fraud Dept and customer service were so RUDE

    • Sorry to hear that, Kathy… it couldn’t have been a good experience. Are you prepared to say which bank this happened at?

  5. You know what? Blame the cheap-ass banks. I’m in the tech sector– there is technology that could have been employed years ago to block or prevent 99% of this low-life crime. But they’re just too f’ing cheap to make the upgrades. Do you know how long ago the EU had chips in their CC’s and allowed mobile payments? DECADES ago. US Banks have little incentive to give one crap about you and your money. Another laggard in the US are the Credit Reporting Bureaus– they suck-a$$ at correcting bogus data on your records- which thanks to their craptastic data security is a constant threat/problem affecting many millions of us per year. When you data is ripped off it’s still pretty much on you to do the laborious cleanup work and there are still virtually no consequences for the institutions that suck at securing our data/money on their outdated systems. Outdated? Why YES! Because one only has to look at better regulated markets in the EU to see wher the US might be in say another ten years or so. All of this is a choice– THEIR profits over YOUR security.

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