Man falls victim to card skimmer found at 7-Eleven in Northwest DC
WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — A new incident report from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) obtained by DC News Now, shows a card skimmer was reportedly found in Northwest — the same shop where one was found just weeks earlier.
The skimmer was found at the Cleveland Park 7-Eleven, which is located on the corner of Connecticut Ave., and Ordway Street in Northwest.
DC police searching for suspects who placed card skimmers in stores
Back on April 16, a skimmer was found by an ATM tech at that 7-Eleven when the tech “observed a black stripe and an SD chip reader.”
More recently, on May 13, a work order was filed for a broken ATM machine at the 7-Eleven — and when someone arrived to fix it, they found the bank card door “was damaged” and glued back together. A black color plate that was not a part of the ATM was found.
One Northwest resident, Chris Stefek, told DC News Now that he was a victim of a skimming device at the Cleveland Park shop.
He explained how he and his husband went to the store to take out cash, and two days later, he received a call from his credit union that $700 was taken out of their accounts from two banks in Bethesda, Md.
“After looking at the keyboard when I was walking up, it just looked a little cartoonish,” he said. “This really bright color. Something I wasn’t used to seeing on a keypad before. But again, all ATMs are different. I just figured it wasn’t a big deal.”
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Once he found out the money was taken, he called the credit union to have the payments stopped. He said he believes he’ll be able to get the money back, but is urging people to be careful when they take out money.
“Be careful, and pay attention,” he said.
He also suggested stores should be vigilant when it comes to their ATMs.
“Check hourly,” he said. “Check daily.”
MPD is still searching for suspects they believe could be connected to multiple skimming devices at several locations across the district, as DC News Now reported last month.
No arrests have yet been made.
Prince George’s County police recover 8 credit card skimmers at convenience stores in April
Police said before making card transactions at machines, always check the following:
Make sure the device isn’t able to be moved or budges when touched.
Compare your machine to the one next to you, if applicable.
Check the alignment of the card reader and the panel underneath it.
Look inside of the card reader before inserting your card.
If you see or suspect a card skimmer, please contact police immediately at 911.
Notify your bank immediately if you suspect you have been a victim of card skimming.
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