Authorities launch NYC crackdown on credit-card-skim rings responsible for $18B in stolen money: ‘People are coming for you'
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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Nassau DA warns of Albany push to approve early parole for violent convicts
The Democratic-run New York state legislature could rush through a series of bills to give convicts early parole and prevent law enforcement from keeping dangerous criminals off the streets, Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly warned Sunday. In recent years, Democrats clawed back controversial cashless bail and discovery laws after serial criminals were let loose, triggering massive political blowback. 'These bills undercut everything we work for every day — building strong cases, securing convictions, and ensuring justice is served,' Donnelly, a Republican up for re-election this fall, told The Post. Advertisement 3 Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly. Brigitte Stelzer 'When prosecutors do the hard work of putting violent offenders behind bars, we should be backed by laws that protect that progress — not laws that allow those same criminals to return to our communities years before their sentences are complete,' added Donnelly, who is holding a press conference Monday announcing her opposition to the bills. Among the bills drawing concern is the Elder Parole bill — which would require inmates aged 55 and older who have served at least 15 years of their sentence to be considered for early release, regardless of the seriousness of the crime committed. Advertisement The measure is sponsored by Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal (D-Manhattan) and Assemblywoman Maritza Davila (D-Brooklyn). Another bill, the Earned Time Act, would make most violent felons eligible for time allowance credits, potentially slashing their prison sentences in half, Donnelly said. The earned time bill is sponsored by Sen. Jeremy Cooney (D-Rochester) and Assemblywoman Anna Kelles (D-Ithaca). 3 Madeline Brame's son, Hason Correa, was murdered in a scuffle outside a Harlem apartment building seven years ago. Steven Hirsch Advertisement A third bill — the Second Look Act — would permit prisoners to petition the courts for a sentence reduction after serving 10 years, including inmates convicted of violent crimes. The legislation is promoted by Sen. Julia Salazar (D-Brooklyn) and Assemblywoman Latrice Walker (D-Brooklyn). GOP Long Island lawmakers oppose the early parole bills, including Assemblyman Edward Ra and Sen. Jack Martins. 3 The New York State Capitol building. Hans Pennink for the NY Post Advertisement Crime victims' advocate Madeline Brame, whose Army Sergeant son Hason Correa was murdered in a scuffle outside a Harlem apartment building seven years ago, expressed outrage at the proposals to give violent cons a break. 'These proposals completely disregard the pain and effort that go into holding criminals accountable,' she said. 'We need to help prosecutors put violent offenders behind bars — not give criminals new ways to get out early.' Gov. Kathy Hochul toyed with early release proposals in April as a way to try to alleviate the prison population amid an illegal prison guard strike and a staffing shortage. She was forced to bring in the National Guard to staff the prisons. She proposed opening eligibility for merit time in the state budget, then backed down after it was revealed doing so could lead to people who were in for violent crimes to be released early. Donnelly was among those who raised the alarm. Inmate advocates have pushed for early parole and other reforms after prisoners were allegedly killed at the hands of guards over the past year.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Pup fatally struck by speeding e-bike – and grieving UES owner can't get justice thanks to legal loophole: ‘Just heartbreaking'
A tiny pooch was fatally struck by an e-bike in a sidewalk hit-run on the Upper East Side on Memorial Day weekend – but the dog's grieving owner says she can't get justice for the pup because of a loophole in state law. Local resident Sarah Grant's 18-month-old shih tzu-poodle mix Fennel – who Grant rescued in December – was out with a dog walker when she was struck on the sidewalk by an e-bike rider on East 96th Street near Third Avenue in Manhattan just before 6 p.m. that Sunday, her owner said. 'She was not very responsive,' Grant told The Post, recalling the moment her dog walker rushed Fennel back to her nearby apartment building. 'Her eyes rolled back into her head, and she was barely moving. It was just heartbreaking.' Fennel sustained a traumatic brain injury and severe skull fracture and was euthanized hours later. Grant said when she attempted to report the incident as a crime with the NYPD, she was told she couldn't, as the incident wasn't a criminal matter — because dogs are only considered property under the law. 'I pushed back. If dogs are property, then this is a property crime,' Grant said. 'And they [still] said, 'No, you cannot submit a report.'' She said she was told only her dog walker — who was also injured in the incident — could file a report. A rep for the NYPD told The Post that Grant can still file a police accident report and a complaint report for the e-bike driver leaving the scene of the accident. 'This is a wake-up call for me,' Grant said. 'I've always had pets, and it's an oversight that there is no legal recourse. 'Setting a car on fire is considered to be a worse felony than setting a dog on fire.' The legal loophole is already the subject of a state bill introduced in January by Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal (D-Manhattan). The bill seeks to swap the 'property' classification of such animals to 'sentient beings' and establish that they can be a victim of a crime. The bill has remained in committee since its introduction. A 'sentient being is one who perceives or responds to sensations of whatever kind—sight, hearing, touch, taste, or smell,' according to Merriam-Webster's dictionary. The Mayor's Office of Animal Welfare told The Post it is looking into the matter in conjunction with other city agencies. 'We are heartbroken to hear about Fennel and are in touch with her family,' a rep for the office told The Post. In addition to championing Rosenthal's bill to reclassify animals as 'sentient beings' under the law, Grant is calling for more enforcement for pedestrians safety on Gotham's sidewalks, where any form of biking is illegal for riders over the age of 12. 'Whether that's for humans or pets, it needs to be a bigger priority,' Grant said of the issue. 'An e-bike at that speed is deadly. I think people need to have a license and prove they have an understanding of traffic law in order to drive them.' 'This incident is exactly why Police Commissioner Tisch issued new enforcement and guidance on 14 high-traffic, high-volume e-bike corridors throughout the city to protect all New Yorkers from reckless e-bikes,' a rep for the NYPD said. Janet Schroeder, director and co-founder of the NYC E-Vehicle Safety Alliance, which has called for the registration and licensing of e-bikes, told The Post that Fennel's passing is 'incredibly sad' and 'infuriating' — but not surprising. 'The fact that the e-biker fled is also expected,' she said. 'The rider flees the crash scene the majority of the time and therefore the rider can't be held accountable because they can't be identified.' Schroeder said Fennel's untimely death is yet another reason city legislators must pass the proposed Priscilla's Law, a 'common-sense solution' requiring license plates on e-vehicles 'so that egregious riding can be identified by enforcement cameras and riders held accountable to following the basic rules of the road which will change egregious riding behavior.' In 104 e-bike-related crashes that Schroeder's group recorded, only four riders remained at the scene, according to the coalition — and in only six cases were crashes logged by the NYPD. 'This is a public-health crisis, and there is blood on the hands of any legislator who continues to do nothing but talk,' Schroeder added. Fennel's tragic passing comes just weeks after the mauling of chihuahua pup Penny on the Upper West Side by a pair of pitbulls sparked public outcry over how the city and state handle animal-related crimes. As dogs are considered property under state law, police often don't get involved unless a human is attacked or a human owner participates in crimes against dogs — and justice for Penny has yet to be served as well, animal advocates say. '[From] East Harlem to Brooklyn, there are people who … have the same concern: Somebody has dogs who attack other dogs, and nobody does anything about it,' city Council Member Gale Brewer told The Post this month. 'The agencies try, but they operate in a silo. We need to have everyone working together.' Grant said, 'I think if people knew and understood the ramifications of [the law], it would help galvanize action. 'I don't want any money out of this — I just want accountability, I want the laws to change,' she said. 'I don't want any other people to have to go through what I'm going through.'
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Shootings spike as temperatures rise in NYC, surging over 50% last week: NYPD data
Gun violence in New York City has spiked along with the mercury, with shootings up more than 50% last week compared to the same time last year — indicating that the Big Apple could be in for a bloody summer. A total of 23 shootings were reported across the five boroughs in the week starting April 21, according to new NYPD statistics — an increase of 53% from the 15 shootings tallied over the same period in 2024. Temperatures in Gotham hit a high of 82 degrees last Tuesday, making it the second-warmest day in April, according to Accuweather. Last week, overall, was the warmest week of the month, with the average temperature hovering around 74 degrees, the weather data show. The NYPD statistics also show that over a 28-day period ending on Sunday, gunplay was up 17% compared to last year — with 61 shootings, versus 52 shootings over the same period in 2024. Victims of the senseless violence last week include 61-year-old grandmother and trailblazing Harlem bodega owner Excenia Mette, who was caught in crossfire and fatally shot in the head when she ran outside to check on her grandson. Another innocent bystander, 28-year-old plumber's apprentice Daoud Marji, was also killed by a stray bullet to the head just a day later while he was visiting a pal in the Bronx. Meanwhile, an off-duty NYPD cop was grazed in the leg Sunday morning when two career criminals opened fire as they apparently tried to swipe his neon green BMW in Queens. And early Wednesday, a 29-year-old Times Square food vendor was shot and wounded following a fight over a backpack at Seventh Avenue and West 47th Street, according to the police. Adding fuel to the warm weather uptick in shootings, gun arrests were down about 17% last week and 30% over the 28-day period ending Sunday, compared to 2024, NYPD data shows. Still, the springtime surge didn't spoil the city's overall decline in shootings so far this year, with gunplay down 12% in the first four months of the year, compared to 2024, the stats show. There were 213 shootings in the first third of 2025, according to the latest overall figures updated Wednesday, on the last day of April. Murders, specifically, were down by 24% this year so far, with 92 deaths, the data show. The warm weather uptick comes after the NYPD touted a 23% plunge in shootings in the first quarter of 2025, ending in March. If the Big Apple stays on this trajectory, New Yorkers could see the lowest number of shootings on record in nearly a decade — since 2018. Subway crime also cratered below pre-pandemic levels during that period — a milestone that NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch credited Thursday to a surge of cops in the system. And in January and February, the city shattered a 30-year record for the fewest shootings in the first two months of the year.
