Police in Clearwater, Florida, are on the hunt for additional victims of a cunning trio of thieves employing an inventive method to prey on ATM users. This group has been active across the state for several months, leaving a trail of unsuspecting victims in their wake.

Authorities have uncovered their modus operandi, which involves deliberately jamming card slots at Wells Fargo ATMs with quarters or bits of paper. This tactic is designed to frustrate ATM users, prompting them to seek assistance.

Posing as Good Samaritans, the thieves approach these bewildered individuals, offering to help with what appears to be a malfunctioning ATM. In reality, their intentions are far from altruistic.

Detective Corporal Francisco Micheo of the Clearwater Police Department explains the sly switcheroo: “They would physically grab the card from the victim, tap it on their behalf; meanwhile, they would have another card on their person that belongs to a separate, unrelated person, and they would switch it. So, now the victim thinks they’re getting back their card they just provided this guy that’s assisting them, but they’re not.”