Fremont police seek the public’s help in identifying a suspect in a gas pump skimming operation who was caught on video withdrawing money from a Fremont ATM using a stolen ATM number.
The problems started in May and June, when several people told police their debit and/or credit cards had been compromised, and that their accounts had been tapped at ATMs in Fremont and other area cities, police said Sept. 17.
Police said the common denominator among the victims was their using cards at a gas station in Brentwood. It is believed a pump at that station was illegally fitted with a skimming device that recorded card numbers. That device had been removed by the suspects, police said.
Such skimmers are usually undetectable by gas station customers. The people who install them take the collected card data to make duplicate cards used to withdraw cash from ATM machines or make online purchases, police said.
One suspect appears on video using several ATMs in Fremont. That suspect is a white man in his mid- to late 20s, heavyset and with three prominent moles on his right cheek. He was seen driving a late-90s Mercedes Benz C280 four-door model with oxidized spots on its hood and, possible, paper license plates.
Police said the suspect may be associated with a transnational criminal organization and may be from the Los Angeles area.
Anyone with information about these incidents is urged to call the Fremont Police Department investigative unit at (510) 790-6900 or send an anonymous tip by texting TIP FREMONTPD followed by your message to 888-777.
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