ATM robbery suspect tosses $2,440 and debit cards as police chase him

When a SunTrust bank employee saw a man dipping multiple debit cards into an ATM and getting cash, he became suspicious and called police, authorities said.

After a foot chase during which Alexander Iracahe tossed $2,440 and a dozen debit cards into bushes and on top of a storm drain, Hallandale Beach police officers caught up with him at 2200 E. Hallandale Beach Blvd. about 8 p.m. Sunday, an arrest report said.

Iracahe, 32, of Hallandale Beach, is accused of using homemade debit cards with magnetic strips that contained information for 12 bank accounts that were not his, Detective Chris Grieco said Friday. “What we are investigating are the compromised account numbers and the theft of the funds from three different banking institutions so far,” Grieco said.

Iracahe’s attorney could not be reached for comment.

It was not yet known Friday how much money was stolen from the banks, Grieco said. Among the recovered evidence were plain white cards that had PINs written on them. Gift cards were also seized, and all of the cards had bank account information on the magnetic strips, police said.

Grieco said gift cards or even a thief’s own credit card are less obvious tools to use to steal from other people’s accounts than plain white, unbranded cards.

Bank account information is sold by criminals on the Internet or obtained from skimmers that thieves install on gas station pumps or automatic teller machines.

“I see re-encoded cards all the time,” Grieco said. “Any fraud investigator comes across them. South Florida is the hotbed for it.”

To avoid getting ripped off, Grieco said consumers should go inside a gas station to pay or use a gas pump that is closest to a cashier’s window.

“The farthest away pump is the most dangerous for fraud,” Grieco said. “Criminals prefer that, because they can put the skimmer on and come back and get the data recorded by the skimmer with less likelihood of being discovered.”

When using a bank ATM, make sure the device is intact, and look for cameras hidden above or in a hole in the cover of the machine that may be recording as you enter a PIN number while withdrawing money.

“You see somebody at an ATM with a hoodie on and sunglasses at 9:30 at night, that’s a red flag,” Grieco said. “And then if they’re sitting there dipping cards in and out of the ATM. … It can happen if someone has two or three accounts and is doing their banking, but if they’re using 10-15 cards…”

Iracahe was arrested on suspicion of passing a forged or falsely embossed or altered credit card; two counts of fraudulent use or possession of another person’s identification without consent; six counts of resisting an officer without violence and seven counts of tampering with or fabricating physical evidence. He was released from a Broward County jail on a $12,100 bond.

Hallandale Police ask anyone who thinks their accounts have been compromised to call 954-457-1400 and make a report with an officer.