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HOW IT WORKS AND HOW TO OUTSMART THEM. >> A PLANT TO CAMERA THAT GIVES THEM A VIEW OF THE PIN PAD, WHERE A POTENTIAL VICTIM WOULD PUNCH IN THEIR PAIN. REPORTER: THIS IS VIDEO FROM ONE OF THE CAMERAS. DEPUTIES FOUND IT WILL SEARCHING THE SUSPECT’S APARTMENT. >> IT IS A SMALL PINHOLE CAMERA, HARD TO DETECT UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR. REPORTER: AFTER HE INSTALLS THE CAMERA, HE COMES BACK TO ADD THE SKIMMING DEVICE. >> THEY WERE SETTING UP SHOP RIGHT HERE IN SACRAMENTO TO DO THIS OPERATION. REPORTER: THESE MEN ARE ACCUSED OF STEALING CREDIT CARD INFORMATION FROM AT LEAST 40 PEOPLE IN THE SACRAMENTO AREA. INVESTIGATORS EXPECT TO FIND MORE VICTIMS. >> WE KNOW THEY HAVE AT LEAST TRAVELED THROUGH SEVERAL STATES ON THE WEST COAST, AND WE ARE LOOKING TO SEE IF THEY HAVE VICTIMIZED ANYMORE FOLKS. REPORTER: DEPUTIES SAY THEY FOUND SKIMMING DEVICES IN SACRAMENTO, FOLSOM, AND RENO. DURING THEIR INVESTIGATION THEY IDENTIFIED ONE SUSPECT AND GOT A WARRANT TO SEARCH HIS APARTMENT. AND LED TO ENOUGH EVIDENCE TO ARREST THREE OTHER MEN FOR A TOTAL OF FOUR ARRESTS. >> WE HAD JUST FRESH THE SURFACE LAST NIGHT. WE BELIEVE THEY WERE GOING TO BE HERE FOR QUITE SOME TIME. REPORTER: BECAUSE THEY HAD BEEN STEALING INFO FOR MONTHS, THEY WEREN’T -- THE SKIMMING DEVICES COULD STILL BE OUT THERE. INVESTIGATORS SAY THERE ARE STEPS TO KEEP YOURSELF SAFE. HIDING THE KEYPAD WHEN YOU’RE PLUGGING IN YOUR PIN, AND CHECK THE MACHINE TO MAKE SURE IT IS SECURE. >> IS IS SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR QUITE SOME TIME. THEY HAVE BEEN HAVING SOME SUCCESS. REPORTER: THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE SAYS IT IS WORKING WITH FEDERAL PARTNERS TO FIGURE OUT HOW FAR THIS SKIMMING OPERATION EXPAN

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A large credit card skimming operation was busted in Sacramento, the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department said Friday.Deputies said the men involved targeted victims up and down the West Coast.“We believe that they’d been active since at least 2018, from Seattle potentially down to Arizona,” Sgt. Shaun Hampton said.Vlad Chitas, Laurentiu Andrecia, Sandor Csaba and Lucian Lazar were arrested on Thursday. Investigators believe the men had been running an ATM skimming operation since December.“We just scratched the surface last night,” Hampton said. “We believe they were going to be here for quite some time.”Hampton said the suspects install a camera in an ATM that gives them a view of the pin pad.“It’s a small pinhole camera,” Hampton said. “It’s very hard to detect, unless you know what you’re looking for.”After installing the camera, one of the suspects comes back to add the skimming device.“They were basically setting up shop here in Sacramento to do this operation,” Hampton said.Hampton said at least 40 people in the Sacramento have had their credit card information stolen. Investigators expect to find more victims.“We know they’ve at least traveled through several states here on the West Coast,” Hampton said. “We’re looking to see if they’ve victimized any more folks in other communities.”Deputies said they found skimming devices inside ATMs in Sacramento, Folsom and Reno.During the investigation, they identified one suspect and got a warrant to search his apartment, where they found approximately 20 ATM skimming devices, numerous recording devices designed to be installed at ATMs, re-encoded debit cards and other equipment.Hampton said investigators are working with federal partners to determine how far the operations expands.