Hinsdale ATM Tampering Leads to Fraudulent Withdrawals

Unknown offenders seeking card information of ATM users appear to have successfully tampered with ATMs at two Hinsdale banks, according to the Hinsdale Police Department.

Northern Trust, 4 N. Washington St., and Hinsdale Bank & Trust, 25 E. 1st St., reported on Jan. 28 and Feb. 4, respectively, that a number of local customers have told bank officials that the customers’ ATM information had been used fraudulently to withdraw money at various Chicagoland banks.

Officials at both banks told police they believe a “skimming device” that records card information of those used at the ATM, including PIN numbers, was placed on the banks’ machines.

Northern Trust customers had fraudulent withdrawals take place between Jan. 1 and Jan. 28, police said. Fraudulent Hinsdale Bank & Trust withdrawals took place between Jan. 26 and Jan. 29.

Though it is unknown at this point what kind of devices were used in these cases, Hinsdale Police Deputy Chief Kevin Simpson said skimmers typically duplicate the magnetic strip of ATM cards, while obtaining the PIN number via a small camera. The information is then applied to a counterfeit ATM card and used at machines by the offender.

"The theory behind skimming is [offenders] obtain that account information and they’re able to duplicate that onto another card," Simpson said.

Police said they have not yet determined the exact number of customers and the total amount of money lost from these fraudulent withdrawals.

"Investigators and the bank officials from both locations are working to identify all victims but I have no indication right now of how many or what the dollar amount is and I certainly don’t want to speculate on something like that," Simpson said.

Police are also still tryint to determine the timeframe during which the skimming devices might have been placed on the ATMs.

Police have no suspect information and the cases remain under investigation. The Hinsdale Police Department is working on the case in conjunction with the U.S. Secret Service, which Simpson said is the agency that deals with such card-fraud cases.

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