NUTLEY —
Update June 28 at 2 p.m.: The photo attached to this story is a screencap of a surveillance video of the man Nutley police believe is responsible for planting the skimmer mentioned in this story.
A skimming device was found June 21 at 7:30 p.m., on a drive-thru ATM at the Nutley PNC Bank, 495 Franklin Ave., Police Director Alphonse Petracco reported.
Police said the device, which is different in appearance from the device recovered at 7-Eleven earlier this year, is not visible from the exterior of the ATM.
Bank security discovered the device along with police upon inspection. It is presently unknown how long the actual memory card was in the machine prior to discovery.
Chief Thomas Strumolo said the concern is that the memory or sim card had already been removed prior to technicians accessing the device. He said anyone who used this machine may have had their personal information jeopardized, and that they should contact their bank immediately.
He said the device is designed to capture information, not withdraw money. He said once the sim card is removed and the information is downloaded, a new card is then fabricated with the victims’ name, card number and magnetic strip, and could either be sold or used to withdraw funds from another location, before the victim ever knows his/her account has been compromised.
NPD detectives are investigating the incident and reviewing area surveillance in an effort to identify suspects.
The NPD is working with Clifton police who are investigating a similar device recovered in their jurisdiction.
— Kevin Canessa Jr.
Learn more about the writer ...
Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, an organization he has served since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on social media channels such as YouTube, Facebook, and X, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to Kearny to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.