Police Investigate Thefts from Residents' Bank Accounts

Investigators are looking into , which have hit many Buffalo Grove residents in the past week.

Buffalo Grove Police Cmdr. Steve Husak said a skimmer, which thieves attach to debit card readers to steal account numbers, was likely in the area.

Police reports this week revealed a number of complaints from residents who said unauthorized debits were made from their accounts beginning April 29. Withdrawals ranged from about $300 to $800. Some were made as nearby as Skokie, while many others took place in California.

Mass numbers of unauthorized withdrawals have popped up across the suburbs this week, according to media reports, with many of the cases believed to be linked to Michael’s craft stores.

Michael’s released a statement Wednesday acknowledging that customers’ credit and debit card information may have been compromised. (See attached PDF.)

“Consumers who have purchased items from a Michaels store with a debit or credit card are encouraged to monitor their statements, report any suspicious account activity, and change any PIN numbers and other account security settings,” the company’s statement said.

Husak said Thursday that he could not confirm whether the cases in Buffalo Grove are linked to Michael’s. The matter remains under investigation, with Buffalo Grove detectives working alongside those in other nearby departments.

The police department also sent out an alert today to its email subscribers, acknowledging the situation and advising consumers to protect themselves by avoiding ATMs and using their bank cards for credit, rather than debit, so that PIN numbers are not required.

Last fall, more than 50 Buffalo Grove residents , which investigators determined stemmed from the use of skimmers at Aldi stores in Buffalo Grove and Wheeling.