Cranston Police Looking for Man who Used Skimmed Credit Card

CRANSTON, RI—Police are trying to identify a man who used a "skimmed" credit card to buy items at a number of local businesses including K-Mart, GameStop and Stop & Shop in the Cranston Parkade and the Stop & Shop on Atwood Avenue.

Police said the suspect used a credit card that likely was programmed with information stolen from the victim's credit card using a skimming device. The victim still has the card in his possession.

The suspect was wearing shorts, dark socks and slides on his feet, police said. He's a white man with blonde, closely-cropped hair.

Anyone with any information is asked to call Det. Paul Bessette at 401-477-5096. Or, you can leave ananonymous tip at TipSoft.

Card skimming devices are usually attached to legitimate credit card swipe machines. They work by pulling data from the swiped card and storing it in a small flash drive built into the skimming device. The thieves then approach the skimming device and retrieve the data, either by removing the skimming device, or, with some models, collecting it wirelessly.

Skimming devices are usually designed to fit over real swiping devices to look like the real thing. Thieves use technology like 3-D printers to custom-build skimming devices to fit specific ATM and gas station swiping machines.

The advent of more powerful and smaller computer boards and improvements with battery technology enable thieves to build the small skimming devices quite easily.

Police rely on security camera footage to catch card skimmers as they install them and later come to retrieve the skimmed information.

The skimmed data is than easily programmed on fake credit cards.

Don't be fooled—card skimmers are not high tech wizards. The plans and methods for committing the crime are easily obtained on the internet and do not require advanced knowledge, only a desire to steal other people's money.