Police are asking for the public's help to locate two suspects who were seen on surveillance video installing a skimmer device on an ATM at a Phoenix gas station.
RELATED: 61 credit card skimmers found around Valley since January 2017
According to Silent Witness Sgt. Jamie Rothschild, the man and woman visited the Circle K store at 52nd Street and McDowell Road around 6:15 p.m. on January 19.
"It looks like the guy pulling money out of the ATM, the woman is standing there looking around constantly. When they go away from the machine it's almost as though she's wiping something off the machine. Possibly fingerprints," said Sgt. Rothschild. "As technology has improved criminals try to stay a step ahead and they try to figure out ways to exploit that technology."
Video showed the pair walking to the ATM and placing the device on the machine. They then bought a drink at the register and left the store.
Rothschild said once the skimmer was placed, at least seven people used the machine before the clerk was alerted about the device by another customer.
"If you see a screw sticking out of the machine, or the machine doesn't feel secure or maybe a wobbly part on it, feel free to jiggle it around, you might notice something is a different color than the rest of the machine, those are all indications it could've been tampered with too," said Sgt. Rothschild. "You may not always spot these devices but you want to always look for them."
The first suspect is described as a white or Hispanic male between 20 and 29 years old, wearing a black baseball hat, orange coat with a hood, black skinny pants, and orange tennis shoes. The second suspect is a white or Hispanic woman between 20 and 24 years old, seen wearing a gray long sleeve shirt, "Nightmare Before Christmas" pants, with orange slippers.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS.
TIPS TO PROTECT YOURSELF:
-- Set up instant alerts with your bank/card to get real-time notifications when money is taken out of your account
-- At gas pumps use credit cards instead of debit cards. If your account is drained you won't hurt as much as it can take time to resolve these complaints.
