Yorktown Police: ATM 'Skimmer' Detected at Convenience Store

An ATM "skimmer" was detected on an ATM at the 7-11 convenience store on Commerce Street in Yorktown and that device may have been on the machine for as long as 10 days before being detected, Yorktown police said. 

The scam occurred within the week of Oct. 3 through Oct. 10 and the device was discovered on Oct. 7. 

Yorktown police said people should be reminded to take the time to look closely at the ATM prior to using the machine and familiarize themselves with potentially identifying a skimming device. 

Police recommend using a web search engine and typing in ‘how to spot an ATM skimming device’ which will give you the basic information on how to protect yourself against this scam.

"Also, when utilizing an ATM machine, always place your free hand above the keypad when typing in your pin code," Yorktown police Lt. Robert Noble said. "Skimming devices usually contain a small camera that will record your pin code through a pinhole."

If you believe you are the victim of a crime of this nature report it to your local police department immediately, police said. 

A second scam has also occurred recently which involves a fraudulent phone call from a criminal pretending to represent the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

"The criminal making the phone call has somehow gained access to persons who currently have an IRS lien placed against them, or are in a payment agreement with the IRS to settle back taxes," Lt. Noble said. 

The call will involve the phony IRS agent telling the potential victim that "unless they wire money or send money packs to an address or website to bring their account current, the Yorktown Police Department will be responding to make an arrest on the IRS’s behalf."

Police want residents to know that they should treat any phone call solicitations or demands for money with skepticism and to immediately call their local police department with any questions regarding any type of potential scam.