Secret Service Bust ATM Scammers in Bartlett

 (Bartlett, TN) They are clean, crisp bills taken right out of the ATM.

The Secret Service says it is stolen money snagged with counterfeit cards.

 ”We are fairly confident these are skimmed cards,” said Special Agent Rick Harlow, with the Secret Service Memphis office.

Special agents say they busted three men with more than $10,000 in cash and more than 100 cards with other people’s information on them.

“You’ve been to a hotel where they imprint your key right there infront of you – it`s the same idea,” said Harlow.

 Officials say the crooks stole people’s debit card numbers, burned the information onto blank cards and used those cards and people’s pin numbers to take out large amounts of money from ATMs.

After a surveillance operation by the Secret Service, Bartlett police arrested the suspects withdrawing money from a Regions Bank at Stage and Elmore Park.

“What their mode of operation was – was they were walking up to ATMs when most folks would drive up and they walked up and spent quite a bit of time, much longer than the average citizen would spent on a single transaction,” said Harlow.

 They say the men are from out of state but victimized at least 10 people in the area, stealing at least 4 thousand dollars from residents in Bartlett.

That money is now in the care of Secret Service as they a build a case against the men who are spending at least the weekend in jail.

The Secret Service says they plan to charge the men with fraudelent use of credit cards on Monday.

If convicted they’ll be facing a possible 15 years of prison time for each count.