CLEARWATER, Fla. – Clearwater Police arrested two men over the weekend who they say were operating a sophisticated scam at local ATMs, posing as helpful strangers to steal customers’ bank cards and PINs.
Brandon E.A. Castillo, 24, and Andrew J. Llactas Jimenez, 19, were taken into custody on Saturday after an incident at the Wells Fargo Bank at 2301 Sunset Point Road. The arrests followed a call from a vigilant bank customer who suspected he was being defrauded.
According to police, the scheme involved the suspects jamming the ATM’s card slot with quarters to prevent customers from inserting their cards. As frustrated customers struggled with the machine, the suspects would then approach them, posing as helpful “good Samaritans.” They would instruct the customer to use the tap function instead.
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In the process of “helping,” the suspects would allegedly switch the customer’s legitimate card with a stolen card and quickly memorize the customer’s PIN. They would then leave to use the stolen card at other ATMs to make unauthorized cash withdrawals.
When officers arrived at the scene, two of the three suspects were still present and were detained after short foot chases. Both Castillo and Llactas Jimenez face two counts of scheming to defraud and one count of criminal mischief. Llactas Jimenez was also charged with resisting an officer without violence. Both were booked into the Pinellas County Jail.
Detectives have confirmed at least four victims from the Clearwater bank location and believe this may be part of a larger operation that has occurred at other locations across Pinellas County and possibly throughout Florida.
Police are urging residents to exercise extreme caution at ATMs. They caution everyone to be wary of anyone lingering near an ATM and to never hand over their bank card or disclose their PIN to a stranger, no matter how helpful they may appear.
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