Meridian police release photos of suspects in second credit-card skimming case this week

Meridian police are warning Treasure Valley residents of more credit-card skimming devices after customers at a Meridian bank had fraudulent charges on their cards, according to a Meridian Police Department press release.

Customers using the drive-thru ATM at a Pioneer Federal Credit Union located at 850 E Fairview Ave. had fraudulent charges on their cards in Nevada, Arizona and California, MPD said. Police released photos of two men they believe to be involved in the skimming, which takes place when devices are attached to ATMs, gas pumps or other credit/debit card swiping sites to collect personal financial information.

According to MPD, the customers affected had used the ATM on Dec. 10 between 7:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Nampa police on Tuesday said a credit-card skimming device was found at a local bank’s ATM, though it’s not clear whether any customers were affected. They declined to identify the particular bank.

MPD Deputy Chief Tracy Basterrechea said he’s not sure yet if the two incidents are related.

“My guess is more than likely,” he said.

He urged the public to be cautious in using ATMs and similar machines, and contact authorities if anything looks out of the ordinary.

This story was originally published December 14, 2016 at 3:44 PM with the headline "Meridian police release photos of suspects in second credit-card skimming case this week."