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Police: Woman wore wigs, changed clothes while using stolen card information at ATMs

HICKORY, N.C. — Police said a man and woman are wanted in a fraud investigation stretching from Asheville to Hickory.

They said the woman changed clothes and even wore different wigs as she withdrew thousands of dollars from local ATMs.

Channel 9 first reported the fraud investigation earlier this week.

Police said over the span of about 50 minutes, the couple went to three different ATMs.

At first glance, it’s hard to tell if it is the same woman but police said the brunette pictured is the same woman as the blonde.

Minutes later, she’s wearing a different hairdo and outfit to make another withdrawal at a bank in Hickory.

[Skimming device used in recent rash of credit card fraud in Monroe, police say]

Police said all of it is linked back to a skimmer placed at an ATM in Asheville where eight customers from Telco Credit Union had nearly $4,000 stolen.

“Really surprised, I mean, of how they did it. However, frustrated as can be, of course, in the process of going through to get it back,” victim Jeremy Gragg said.

“You have to file a police report. You have to get a report number. There’s paperwork at the bank you have to fill out. You have to cancel all of your cards,” victim Diane Drake said.

Police believe the woman was working with a man who also changed his clothes as they visited three different Wells Fargo ATMs in Hickory.

Channel 9 has learned the same couple has been linked to several skimmer cases in McDowell County.

Police said once they get your information, they make new credit cards and begin making withdrawals.

Investigators in Hickory are working closely with police in Asheville and warning card holders to look for any sign of a skimmer around an ATM.

“Check the slot, make sure it’s not loose. Make sure there’s not a skimmer on top of the ATM. Checking for any recording devices,” Capt. Jeff Young, with the Hickory Police Department, said.

Channel 9 checked with the state agency that tracks skimmer cases in North Carolina. In the first quarter of this year, there have been 23 cases at local gas stations, up from just five during the same period last year.