Roseville police arrest man suspected of installing card skimmer, camera at bank ATM
Officers arrested a Bay Area man suspected of installing a card skimmer and a hidden camera at a Roseville bank ATM after a witness reported seeing a suspect poking the machine with a stick last week.
Peter Adamski, 42, of Hayward was arrested on suspicion of burglary, computer and credit card fraud, the Roseville Police Department announced Tuesday on social media. He was booked at the Placer County Jail, where he remained in custody.
Police said Adamski’s burglary charge stems from an allegation that he entered the bank’s ATM lobby with the intent of committing theft.
On Thursday morning, officers were called to the bank in the 4000 block of Foothills Boulevard. Police said an “observant” witness reported a man acting suspiciously inside the bank’s ATM lobby, using a stick to poke the ATM and the lobby’s ceiling. The officers arrived and didn’t find the suspicious man, and the ATM didn’t show any signs of damage.
About 6:45 a.m. the following day, officers were called to the Foothills Boulevard bank again. They received a report of a man near the bank with the same description of the suspect the previous day.
Police said the officers arrived and spotted a man, later identified as Adamski, who matched the suspect description. The officers approached and questioned him about a block away as he was getting into his parked sport utility vehicle.
The officers searched Adamski and his vehicle and found a card skimming device, a small concealable camera and other related items, police said. A card skimmer is a card reader that is illegally installed on ATMs or other pay points to steal bank card information.
Bank employees checked the ATM and found a skimming device inside, and the officers also found a small hidden camera stuck with magnets to the ATM lobby’s ceiling, according to the Police Department. The camera was pointed toward the ATM.
Police said it appeared the suspect was using the camera to record customers’ PINs as they used the ATM.
Police urged everyone to always be alert and aware of your surroundings when using an ATM or paying at a gas pump. The department also offered these theft prevention tips:
▪ Card skimmers can be hard to spot, so watch for card readers that seem loose, have sticky tape on them since they’re installed temporarily on top of the card reader or that look different than the other ATMs or pay points at the business.
▪ If the ATM appears to have been tampered with, don’t use it. Notify the business’ employees.
▪ When entering your PIN on an ATM keypad, use your other hand to shield your PIN from view.
▪ Monitor your credit cards and bank accounts regularly to check for unauthorized purchases.
