Warning issued after skimmers found on ATMs in Henry County, McDonough

HENRY COUNTY, Ga. - Police in Henry County warned residents who use ATMs to be aware after a skimmer was found on an ATM in McDonough.

Skimmers are illegal devices used to steal personal information. Henry County Police said they have received several reports of skimming devices found at local ATMs.

On Tuesday, police released a surveillance image of a wanted suspect accused of placing a skimmer on an ATM at the Heritage Bank on Highway 20 West in McDonough. The man has been identified as Alexandru Tomescu, of Romania.

Police said Tomescu was arrested in Florida in 2015 and 2016 and avoided prosecution by skipping out on his bond.

Henry County Police said they believe Tomescu is an associate of a group of people they arrested in 2016 for hooking up skimmers.

Bank customer Kim Clevenger is shocked. She said she has never checked for skimmers at her local ATM because it's right outside her bank.

"This is the bank I bank at, I didn’t think they’d do it at an ATM here," said Clevenger.

Police said not all skimmers look the same, but they all do the same thing, steal your information.

"When they put the skimmer over the slot the card goes in, that will skim your number," said Henry County Police Maj. Mike Ireland.

Most skimmers also have a tiny camera that shoots through a barely visible pinhole to record the customer's PIN when they type it in. Now the crooks have all the information they need.

"Once they have your card number and can duplicate your card, they also have your PIN and can go any place and use it," said Maj. Ireland.

Police encourage all customers to be careful when using an ATM. Authorities said check for any loose parts or anything that looks unusual. They said it's always a good idea to cover the keypad with your free hand when entering your PIN.

Kim Clevenger said she plans to just bypass the ATM altogether.

"I'm probably going to start coming to the bank before they close," said Clevenger.