PICKERINGTON, Ohio — In the last couple weeks thieves, at $500 a pop, have been withdrawing deposits.
Sgt. Shawn Mikicic says in three days 16 reports were filed. The common denominator is the PNC bank ATM off Refugee Road where customers withdrew money in the last few days of January.
Gary Varney lost a thousand dollars.
“Two,” he said. “Two back-to-back $500 withdrawals.”
Connie Delzoppo had more than $1,500 stolen from her account.
“Five hundred and three dollars and seventy-five cents, three times,” Delzoppo said.
Mikicic says the amount is a typical maximum amount allowed during each withdrawal.
“When criminals do get this information they know that most ATMs the max they’re gonna allow you to withdraw is five hundred,” he said. “So, they’re automatically gonna type that max in and see what they can get.”
Mikicic says his office is working with PNC to obtain any surveillance video, but that it’s definitely a possibility that a skimmer was used. He says thieves are also using a small, concealed camera to place on the ATM that is strategically angled to capture a person’s hands while punching in their PIN number.
And knowing it’s that easy, Delzoppo says, is frustrating.
“It was very upsetting,” she said. “It shook me up.”
PNC Bank’s Regional Communications Manager for Columbus, Craig Friedman, shared this statement with 10TV:
The security of our customers’ accounts is our top priority. We are investigating a potential fraud issue affecting certain PNC ATMs. Any customers who notice suspicious activity on their accounts should contact us right away using the number listed on the back of their PNC ATM card or on our website at www.pnc.com.
“I mean, we work hard for this money and evidently there’s people out here working hard to steal it,” Varney said.
Both Varney and Delzoppo say PNC has taken steps to correct the issue.
“I feel so bad for some of these people because that might have been all they had for the month,” Varney said. “And that’s what they had to live on.”
Mikicic urges people to be observant at any ATM and look at the card reader, while checking for scrapes or loose tape around it. Also, cover up your PIN and, if you can, use the ATM inside the bank as it’s more unlikely to be tampered with.
“Yeah, we will pay more attention,” Varney said. “I will pay more attention in the future. For sure.”