GREENBELT, Md. — Greenbelt Police are investigating two suspicious devices found at two different bank ATMs on Saturday.
In pictures shared by Greenbelt Police, the device appears to be a long curved piece of metal with adhesive that is placed over the slot, blocking the cash being dispensed. Investigators say that it was a person using Bank of America ATM on Ora Glen Drive that first alerted police about a suspicious device.
"So our officers went out there and they found it. They were able to remove it. After they saw that, they went to the other banks in the area, just wanted to be proactive and do another search of the ATMs that were around to make sure there weren't any more devices anywhere else," Greenbelt Police Public Information Officer Ricardo Dennis told WUSA9.
Police said a second device was found at the Capital One Bank ATM on Greenbelt Road.
Greenbelt Police say their investigation is ongoing.
"Based on the way the device was set up, we weren't sure if that device was there to trap the money or as a distraction so that other so that other crimes could be committed down the road," Dennis added.
The devices could be a type of fraud called cash trapping. According to the Denver Police Department, cash trapping is when a false cash dispenser is placed under the real one, allowing a thief to remove the trap and take the cash after the cardholder leaves to notify the bank that they didn’t receive their money.
"It's so bad. It's so bad," Alicia Hernandez told WUSA9 as she left the Capital One ATM under investigation.
This is just the latest ATM scam to pop up in Prince George's County and the DMV. We have previously reported on card skimmers found in D.C., Prince George's County and around the D.C. region. Skimming is when scammers place a device called a card skimmer on card readers to collect debit and credit card numbers, and later use the card information to make fraudulent purchases. A warning was issued to Prince George's County residents last May after eight skimming devices were found in stores across the county.
Greenbelt Police are asking that if you encounter one of these devices in the city, call them at 301-474-7200. If you are outside Greenbelt, contact your local agency.