Photos released of 2 men sought in credit-card scam at Bonney Lake store

Two men placed credit-card skimming devices next to self-checkout points in a Bonney Lake store and withdrew a combined $40,000 from victims’ bank accounts, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.

Investigators have released surveillance photographs showing the thieves using the stolen credit cards and are asking for the public’s help in identifying them.

The men set up the credit-card skimming machines between Feb. 26 and March 11 at a store on state Route 410. They began using the stolen credit card information March 25 and withdrew cash from the victims’ bank accounts.

Credit-card skimmers are devices that are surreptitiously installed on readers that process credit or debit cards. The devices read the card data from the magnetic stripe and the data is then available to criminals, who can use a customer’s card or gain access to the customer’s credit union or bank account.

Anyone with information is asked to call Tacoma-Pierce County Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).

This story was originally published April 15, 2016 at 10:36 AM with the headline "Photos released of 2 men sought in credit-card scam at Bonney Lake store."