A fraud scam costing banks hundreds of millions of dollars annually cropped up in the Chattanooga area this month.
U.S. Secret Service agents believe on Oct.13, two men placed devices that record information on bank cards’ magnetic strips – a skimmer – over normal Regions Bank ATM card readers in East Ridge and Dalton.
The skimmers also contained small cameras to record customers entering their PIN numbers. That information allows thieves to create fake cards that can be used anywhere cards are accepted.
Foreign Connections
Atanas G. Georgiev, 28, of Atlanta, and Chris Svetlinov Dragiev, 27, of Kennisaw, Ga., were arrested in Nashville on Oct. 19 in connection with the skimming incidents.