Bank accounts hacked in St. Tammany Parish after 'skimmers' install ATM machines, sheriff says
Anyone who used an ATM at banks in Covington and Slidell last Friday are being asked to check their accounts for suspicious activity, St. Tammany Sheriff Jack Strain said in a news release.
“Members of a Middle Eastern/Armenian interstate crime ring that operates across the United States installed ‘skimmers’ on Whitney and Resource Bank ATMs on Friday morning, Jan. 23,” Strain said in the news release.
The ATMs were removed Friday night, about 12 hours after they were installed.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, the skimmers were specific to the type of ATM machine, not the bank itself. Therefore, any bank with a particular brand of ATM could be a potential victim, the Sheriff’s Office said.
The crew that installed the skimmers is suspected to be from the Miami area, and are believed to have hit the Dallas area before traveling through St. Tammany.
“The suspects installed a molded plastic cover over the existing credit card slot, outfitted with a tiny card reader. They also installed a pinhole camera above the keypad, enabling them to see the customer enter their PIN,” the news release said.
Officials said that as of noon Tuesday, the suspects were attempting to make withdrawals using the card numbers in Celebration, Florida.
St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office detectives are working with U.S. Secret Service agents, Louisiana State Police, bank officials and law enforcement agencies in Louisiana and Florida.
If you think your account has been compromised, call 985-898-2338 to file a report.
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