The Mexico City Secretariat of Citizen Security arrested four people—three foreign men and one Mexican woman—who are allegedly involved in the theft and tampering of ATMs in the Tláhuac borough.
The incidents occurred in the Selene neighborhood, at the intersection of Tláhuac Avenue and Riachuelo Serpentino Street.
At that moment, police officers observed two suspicious vehicles—one gray and one blue, with license plates from the State of Mexico—parked very close to a bank branch. Two men emerged from the bank, visibly nervous, got into the cars, and sped off.
The officers initiated a brief chase that ended a few meters away.
They were carrying drugs and ATM grates. Upon searching them, officers found 37 packets of what appeared to be cocaine, two cell phones, two electronic devices, tools, and an ATM grate.
Among those arrested are Nisandro N and Omar N, both from Venezuela; Dagni Amado N, from Colombia; and Ana N., a Mexican national.
According to official data, two of them already had criminal records in Mexico City: one for drug-related offenses and the other for document forgery.
According to authorities, the suspects allegedly placed skimming devices on ATMs to steal money, and they are even being investigated for their involvement in the physical theft of entire ATMs. They are also linked to street-level drug sales.
According to unofficial reports, these individuals may have ties to the Tren de Aragua criminal group, a feared Venezuelan criminal organization that has expanded its operations to various countries, including Mexico.
The detainees were presented before the Public Prosecutor’s Office, which will determine their legal status in the coming hours.
How to detect if an ATM has been cloned?
- Carefully examine the card slot.
If you see anything loose, poorly glued, excessively bulging, or a different color, beware.
Criminals place counterfeit copies over the actual magnetic stripe reader slot.
Touch it with your fingers: if it moves or feels like it’s been added, DO NOT use that ATM.
- Check the keypad
Often, they place a counter over the original keypad to record your PIN.
Beware if the keys feel harder
They look taller
The entire keypad moves
There’s a change in color or a strange brightness
- Watch out for hidden cameras
They place mini-cameras to record your PIN.
Check if there’s an extra “cover” above the screen
Improperly applied stickers
Strange things on top
A small square or hole where there shouldn’t be anything
(Always cover your hand when entering your PIN, even if you don’t see anything unusual).
- Check for suspicious people nearby
Two or three people “killing time”
People offering help out of the blue
People “watching” the ATM too closely
Card cloners often loiter around to see if their device works or to distract you.
- Slow, strange, or card-rejecting ATM
If when you insert your card:
It gets stuck
It’s difficult to pull in
It displays an error message several times for no reason
This could be a sign of a device inside.
If your card gets stuck, don’t accept help from anyone. Call the bank directly.
- Mismatched covers, plastic parts, or pieces
Make sure the entire ATM has the same color, texture, and shape.
If something looks:
More opaque
Newer than the rest
With visible glue
Crooked
Stay away! It’s suspicious.
- The ATM’s cash dispenser should also be suspicious.
Although less common, sometimes scammers install “traps” to steal other users’ cash.
As usual: touch it, pull gently, and check that it’s not loose.
Source: msn
