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Authorities cracking down on national organized-crime rings swiping $18 billion a year through ATM card-skimming have now turned their sights on aiding Big Apple victims.
The US Secret Service, which investigates financial crimes along with protecting the president, started the crackdown in California last year because of the staggering problem and has now expanded to team up with a new NYPD task force to try to thwart the criminals better here.
“It’s billions of dollars [stolen] annually across the nation, so that jumps off the page by any metric,” Secret Service spokesman James Byrne told The Post on Wednesday, as the New York City initiative was rolled out.
“That’s the impetus for it.”
The feds launched “Operation Flagship” after the US Department of Agriculture and credit-card carriers detected such theft involving the government’s food-assistance, or Electronic Benefits Transfer, cards.
The skimming devices can be installed on top of the ATM and remotely steal PIN numbers and other data from the user’s card use the information to steal the money.Scammers simply attack the device using double-sided tape. Thieves can also install tiny cameras in the ATMs that grab images of the PIN number on a card.
In the Big Apple, the rings primarily target the poorest neighborhoods, authorities said.
“Unfortunately, they’re targeting people who really need the money the most, and that’s why this problem is really blowing up in the city,” NYPD Detective James Lilla said. “They’ll come in, distract the teller, the [skimming] device will go on. It can take 2 to 4 seconds to install the device.
“They’re targeting, particularly, for EBT cash benefits,” said Lilla, who is assigned to work with the Secret Service. “So, [it’s] direct access for those victims, because those cards are not chip-protected. They’re able to get direct access and a monthly income coming in for the money.”
The devices steal an average of $300,000 per skimming device — and $1,000 for each person targeted, authorities said.
The joint federal task force focused on bodegas and small markets in Brooklyn on Wednesday and plans to hit locations this week to look for skimmers.
“It’s a message to folks that are doing these crimes,” said Patrick Freaney, Secret Service special agent in charge of the agency’s New York office, to The Post. “People are coming for you.”
Secret Service agent Michael Peck said, “They are taking the terminals that you see in stores visually, and they are fitting these skimmers so perfectly that the average eye doesn’t catch them.
“You have to know specifically how to feel for them, or you have to look for other triggers,” he added. “Maybe glue, maybe a piece of tape and maybe fake seals.”
The task force uses a high-tech approach to track down the scamming ATMs, which triangulates data from the USDA, credit card companies and local law enforcement to catch the crooks.
“it’s definitely organized crime that’s doing this,” Peck said.
English (US)