Henry County

Watch for ATM skimmers, police say

HENRY COUNTY, Ga. — Henry County police are warning residents to beware of credit card skimmers on ATMs.

Police said there was a recent incident in which a man went to Heritage Bank on Highway 20 West in McDonough and put a skimmer on an ATM.

Authorities warn that people who are after your banking information are getting more creative with subtle approaches to steal your information.

Before, people would stand over you and watch you do your banking, but now they have little cameras.

Police said a person caught on ATM surveillance appears to be a citizen from Romania, Alexandru Tomescu, who was arrested as part of a crime ring in February 2016.

"We have identified that person as being possibly associated with those individuals who were arrested back in 2016," Major Mike Ireland, with the Henry County Police Department, said.

Tomescu avoided prosecution by skipping out on his bond, police said.

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Officers urge bank customers to check ATMs and look for anything unusual or different before using them. Investigators said that skimmers have popped up in McDonough and the surrounding county, but catching suspects in the act is tough.

"We have to be at the right place at the right time," said Ireland, "When they put it up, they only leave it there for a couple of hours."

Police advice giving an ATM a good wiggle to see if anything comes loose because those skimmers are not meant to stay on the machine for longer periods of time.

Ireland told Corona, "They're just attaching some kind of adhesive on it to hold it in, so that they can come back and make easy access, just pop it off and go."

Police say that an aware public is the best defense.

If you do come across a skimmer, you should immediately call 911.