Detectives on the hunt for credit card skimmers at ATMs, gas stations

SNOHOMISH COUNTY, Wash. -- Detectives in Snohomish County are trying to identify a man suspected of a crime that any of us could be victims of.

Skimming is a nasty scheme we're continuing to see criminals use to drain victim's bank accounts. This particular case involves a man caught on camera at an ATM after getting people's credit card information at gas stations.

All it takes is a quick swipe. And just like that-someone can have the information they need to get into your bank accounts.

It's what investigators with the Snohomish County Sheriff's Department say an unidentified suspect did to multiple victims in Lake Stevens.

"We believe he went to a gas pump in Lake Stevens, he placed a device inside the gas pump and he was able to obtain customer's debit card information. Through that he cloned debit cards and went to multiple ATMs and pulled cash from the victim's account," says Courtney O'Keefe with the Snohomish County Sheriff's Department.

And unlike other skimmers, this one may be a little more sophisticated, making it impossible to detective anything was wrong with the credit card slots at the gas pumps. "Detectives believe he put a device inside the gas pump where you pay and that was how he was able to obtain the numbers."

O'Keefe says the foolproof way to keep your card information protected is to always run your transaction as credit, even if you're using a debit card. That way skimmers won't have access to the information they need to get into your bank accounts.

"It's a violation of these victims and we definitely want him off the streets and in custody, we don't know how many other peoples information he could possibly have and the sooner we get him picked up the less victims we'll have," says O'Keefe.

Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound is offering a reward od up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest of the suspect. You can submit your tip anonymously through the P3 Tips App or you can call the hotline at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). You can also go to www.P3Tips.com.