Anonymous
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Source: Santa Barbara Police Department
The Santa Barbara Police Department has received nearly a dozen reports of fraudulent ATM withdrawals originating from the Bank of America branch at 3790 State Street in the City of Santa Barbara.
Detectives investigating these reports discovered that over a two week period, beginning on July 14th, a four-person crew stole debit card information from ATM machines at this bank branch. The information was likely stolen using a concealed “skimming” device. Using the same ATM’s where the debit card information was stolen, the suspects proceeded to withdraw thousands of dollars from the victims’ accounts. The suspects predominantly operated in the early morning hours, and occasionally used ATM’s alongside legitimate customers.
The skimming primarily affected persons with California Employment Development Department (EDD) debit cards, which are generally not issued with EMV security chips.
Due to the duration of the crime spree and the early morning hours of the withdrawals, detectives suspect that the ATM skimmer crew may have stayed at a local hotel. Anyone with information about the suspects in the attached photographs are encouraged to contact Detective Kyle Rapp at 805-897-2331 or krapp@sbpd.com
The Santa Barbara Police Department encourages residents to protect their banking information. Do not use ATM’s or credit card terminals that appear altered or damaged. Immediately report any fraud to your banking institution. It is safer to make cash withdrawals in-person, rather than at an ATM.
