Video: Crooks rob dozens in sophisticated debit card scam

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PUYALLUP, Wash. – Sophisticated crooks installed skimmers last year on gas station card machines, then didn't use the numbers until last weekend.

It appears 64 people fell victim to the scam to the tune of $65,000 in charges.

Puyallup Police says criminals targeted the AM/PM at 15th and South Meridian in August and September of last year by installing card skimmers without anyone knowing it.

"It appears the skimmers were placed on Paypoint machines at Arco station, before they were removed by the suspects, and all went undetected by any of the victims or the gas station," said Lt. Dave McDonald, Puyallup Police.

The thieves waited a year until this past Labor Day weekend to use the skimmed numbers on cloned cards and rack up the charges.

The case is probably tied to another just up the road at an Arco station at 117th and Meridian, where over the Fourth of July weekend, thieves used skimmed information from that station to drain thousands of dollars from accounts.

"They seem to be focusing on 3-day holiday weekends, so they have three days to complete the fraud before it's detected by the banks or the victims," he said.

Police stress the station did not have anything to do with the scam, and there could be more victims in other parts of Pierce County who have not yet reported the crime.

The crooks made new cards with those skimmed numbers.

Anyone who suspects that their number was skimmed should cancel their card.