Three men have been arrested after allegedly running a distraction theft operation in Orange, San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties and elsewhere, authorities said on Wednesday, Feb. 4.
There have been at least a dozen victims.
In November, authorities say, a 66-year-old man was using an ATM in the 17000 block of Santiago Boulevard in Villa Park while a thief watched him enter his pin; a second thief lingered.
One put cash onto the ground, authorities said, so when the victim bent over to pick it up a thief switched the bank card lodged into the ATM with a fraudulent one.
The thieves used the victim’s pin and stolen ATM card to make purchases and withdraw cash, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department said.
The Villa Park theft provided investigators with a break in the case.
“Because of this case we were able to reach out to surrounding jurisdictions … and saw similarities,” said Sgt. Gerard McCann, a spokesman with the O.C. Sheriff’s Department.
Bank surveillance footage helped investigators identify a gray SUV believed to be associated with the crime. After weeks of investigating, authorities discovered a pattern of distraction thefts across California.
On Jan. 6, the department’s investigators arrested three Romanian nationals on suspicion of multiple felony charges, including grand theft, identity theft, and forgery.
Investigators linked the suspects to other so-called distraction thefts in Orange, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sacramento counties.
Two of the suspects are out on $40,000 bail amounts, while the third remained in custody as of Wednesday, Feb. 4.
Distraction thefts have been on the rise in Orange County, McCann said.
“[It’s] one of those constant things we’ve seen in the last three [years],” he said.
The Sheriff’s Department asked anyone who believes they may have been a victim of a distraction theft to call them at 714-647-7000, and suggests that ATM users cover the keypad and avoid talking with strangers while completing transactions.