NBT Discovers ATM Card Skimmer Plot

La Grange Police reported this week that employees at National Bank and Trust discovered a card skimmer inside the bank’s drive-through ATM on East Colorado Street.

According to a report from La Grange Police Chief David Gilbreath, a bank customer contacted police around 3:45 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 16, reporting a person tampering with the machine. 

A Fayette County Sheriff’s Deputy located a suspect walking down the street and wearing similar clothing as the subject seen at the ATM. Police spoke with the subject, but it was a case of mistaken identity, Gilbreath said.

Shortly after 5 p.m. the bank called police to report that they found a skimmer inside the machine. 

According to Jaye Weishuhn, Chief Financial Officer at National Bank and Trust, part of the device slid inside the ATM card reader. The other part consisted of a camera placed outside the ATM. Weishuhn said the skimmer inside the ATM transmitted debit card numbers to the camera, which recorded video of customers entering their pin numbers into the pad. Weishuhn said surveillance video showed the culprit trying to retrieve the camera over the weekend. Fortunately, the bank discovered the device before the suspect came back to get it.

“The only way you could tell there was a skimmer in the machine was that your ATM card might feel a little tight inside the card reader,” Weishuhn said. “We discovered it after a customer tried using the machine and their card got stuck inside.” 

Weishuhn said a piece of tape that was stuck to a card caused the jam.

“We notified all surrounding banks, but no other card skimmers were found,” Gilbreath said. 

Weishuhn said the bank identified about 70 customers who used the ATM while the card skimmer was in place. He said the bank worked over the holiday weekend to contact those customers, cancel their cards and issue new ones.

“So far, we have not identified any fraudulent activity on the affected accounts,” Weishuhn said.

Weishuhn said any customers concerned about their accounts should contact him at (979) 968-4556. Anyone with information about this crime or the suspect shown in the video should call Weishuhn at the number above or call La Grange Police at (979) 968-5806.

Weishuhn wished to thank the customer who notified police after watching the suspect tamper with the machine. He said that information helped the bank identify the customers who were affected.