Two people who are suspected of placing skimming devices on ATMs in North Haven are believed to have international connections and to be part of a larger ring of crimes, according to police.
The investigation started when officers responded to Woodside Road around 7 a.m. Tuesday and met with a resident who said his neighbor’s car had been stolen days earlier and he has seen the same two people on his street for the last two days.
He said he called police because two people would park, leave their car for a short time, then return and he feared they might be trying to commit a crime in the area or they might be the people who took his neighbor’s car, according to police.
When officers arrived, they saw two people matching the description walking near the ATM of M&T bank and an officer saw an electronic device or components sticking out of one of the men’s pockets, police said.
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Investigators determined it was part of an ATM skimming device, police said, and officers detained the men.
Police charged the two men with multiple counts of fraud after comparing evidence from M&T Bank and the North Haven Bank of America, which had reported finding skimming/shimming devices on their ATM, and CCTV footage.
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They said this highlights what can happen by being alert and acting as a good witness, without getting physically involved or putting yourself in harm’s way.
“If it was not for our concerned caller, these arrests likely would not have occurred,” police said in a Facebook post.
The suspects, 28-year-old Mario DeMarco and 37- year-old Stefano Garioli, claim to be from Flushing, New York, police said, but investigators haven’t been able to verify their identity.
Several federal agencies, including the U.S. Secret Service, Homeland Security Investigation, and Diplomatic Security Services are also assisting because the two men are believed to have international ties and be part of a larger ring of fraudulent activities, police said.
They are currently held on a total of $300,000 bond each. The two have been charged with illegal use of scanning device, illegal use of a re-encoder, fraudulent use of auto teller, illegal reproduction of payment card, larceny in the sixth degree, conspiracy to commit illegal use of scanning device, conspiracy to commit illegal use of re-encoder, conspiracy to commit fraudulent use of auto teller, conspiracy to commit illegal reproduction of a payment card and conspiracy to commit larceny in the sixth degree.
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