By Madina Toure
Four skimming devices were found on ATMs at a drugstore and two gas stations in northeast Queens between June and August, according to the 109th Precinct.
On Aug. 20 at about 12:56 a.m., police received a call about skimming devices found on two ATMs at the Duane Reade store at 136-02 Roosevelt Ave in downtown Flushing, according to a police spokeswoman.
Police also received a call about a skimming device found on an ATM at a gas station at 17-55 Francis Lewis Blvd. in Whitestone June 21 at 12 p.m. and at another ATM at a gas station at 29-16 Francis Lewis Blvd. in Broadway-Flushing about 1 p.m. Aug. 27, the spokeswoman said.
109th Inspector Thomas Conforti is asking any individuals who used their credit cards on the ATMs or gas pumps since Aug. 1 to call their credit card companies or banks and let them know that their cards have been compromised.
“Inspector Conforti stated that this is very troubling especially since they do not know how long the devices were in place,” Voskerichian wrote on the precinct’s Facebook page.
The workers at Duane Reade and gas station owners noticed the devices and immediately contacted the 109th Precinct. A police source said that there may have been individuals affected now that the precinct has announced that the devices were found.
“As of Friday, I don’t believe anyone had been affected by the scheme,” the source said.
The devices take minutes to install, according to Conforti, noting that it usually takes a couple of months after finding the device for individuals to notice suspicious charges on their accounts if they were compromised.
The investigation, which is being conducted by the NYPD’s Financial Crimes Task Force, is ongoing.
Reach reporter Madina Toure by e-mail at mtour
