If you withdrew cash from a bank in Woodside recently, you may want to check your financial records for any fraudulent activity.
Police said an unidentified duo, described as white males wearing winter clothing, installed skimming devices onto ATM machines at the HSBC bank located at 51-20 Northern Blvd. in the Tower Square shopping center. Bank employees discovered the devices at 1 p.m. on Feb. 11 and reported it to the 108th Precinct.
It’s not immediately known when the devices were first installed, or if any accounts were compromised as a result, law enforcement sources said.
Skimmers, which are installed over the slots where customers insert their credit or debit cards into an ATM, are used to record the personal information contained on the cards’ magnetic strips. Thieves use the information retrieved from skimmers to make illegal withdrawals from a victim’s bank account, or to fraudulently open credit card accounts in a victim’s name.
In recent months, police in Queens have reported numerous instances of skimmers illegally affixed to ATMs at banks and convenience stores across the borough.
Customers are advised not to use any ATM machines that may appear broken or malfunctioning, such as those which have a loose ATM slot. They should also make sure to block the keypad with one hand while using the other to type in their PIN.
Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of the men who installed the skimming devices in Woodside should call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS, visit their website or send a text message to 274637 (CRIMES), then enter TIP577. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
