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News

Secret Service Search for Sierra Madre 'Skimming' Suspect

By  Lindsay William-Ross
Published Jan 5, 2011 11:00 PM
sierramadre-fraud-suspect.jpg
A person of interest in the Sierra Madre gas station fraud charges (City of Sierra Madre)
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More than 280 people have come forward as victims of credit or debit card fraud, and the cases are linked to a likely "skimming" case stemming from one now-shuttered Sierra Madre gas station. Authorities have released a photo of someone they say is a "person of interest" in the case, after he withdrew money from an ATM in Montebello using a card created with information obtained from the gas station, according to the Daily News.The U.S. Secret Service and the Sierra Madre Police are working together to find the person or people responsible for the widespread scam, which could affect the finances of patrons of the EVG Quality Gas station who swiped their card there as far back as June 2010.

So far the fraudulent charges racked up using stolen information from customers has escalated to a total of at least $82,000. The owner left the area after shutting down the station; preliminary investigations reveal the suspect is not an employee of the station.

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