EXCLUSIVE: Bank information compromised for nearly 100 people on Long Island

Kristin Thorne Image
Monday, August 8, 2016
EXCLUSIVE: Bank information compromised for hundreds on Long Island
Kristin Thorne has the exclusive from Wantagh.

WANTAGH, Long Island (WABC) -- Tim Dolan went to his ATM on Monday morning, only to find out that someone had withdrawn $1,200 from his account.

"It was to the point where I couldn't take out any money. That's not good at all," said Dolan.

A spokesman for Nassau Educators Federal Credit Union (NEFCU) says someone put skimmers on ATMs at three of its banking locations over the weekend. The locations include New Hyde Park, Franklin Square and Wantagh.

NEFCU says the devices were left on only for short periods of time. The perpetrators used the ATM information to make fraudulent transactions in Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan.

"I was scared when I put my card in and it said 'card deactivated', because I knew I had the money in my account," said Debbie Ferchland, "when I went in, she said 'did you take money out of Queens?' my husband works in Queens, let me call him. But then she said it was all weekend."

Some customers tell Eyewitness News that this is not the first time someone has stolen money out of their NEFCU accounts.

Ferchland says that over $600 was stolen this time, and other times it happened, the money stolen was about the same amount.

"Yeah, me and my son as well," she says.

NEFCU says this is the first time they've been a victim of a skimming fraud. In a statement, they told Eyewitness News, "We are taking immediate steps to isolate the impacted cards, and are proactively taking action to stop further fraud from occurring. NEFCU will continue to work with local law enforcement authorities and other banking authorities to ensure our members' banking safety."

If you visited one of the affected ATMs, it is important to look at your account information. If you have fraud, call them to fill out a claim form so money will be refunded back into your account.