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Police are searching for two men who they say placed skimming devices on ATMs at multiple Pennsylvania stores and stole money from customers.
Police are searching for two men who they say placed skimming devices on ATMs at multiple Pennsylvania stores to steal money from dozens of customers.
The investigation began on May 5, 2026, after police were alerted by a customer at the Wawa in Hilltown Township, Pennsylvania. The customer told police he inserted his card in the ATM. When he took it out, he spotted a small piece of a cloning device on the card.
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Employees at the Wawa then found a camera device that was placed on the front of the ATM. The store employees then checked their ATMs multiple times over the few days. a week later, they found a second skimming device that had been installed on another ATM.
Hilltown Township Police Detective James Towhey investigated the incidents, working with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.
Then in August, investigators were notified by employees at the Quakertown National Bank who said someone had used clone cards to withdraw money from victims’ accounts. Investigators determined the suspects were driving rental cars from New York to then target not only the Hilltown Township Wawa but also 7-Eleven and CVS stores in three other counties in Pennsylvania.
Police eventually identified one of the suspects as Grozea Daragiu, a Romanian national. They have not yet identified the second suspect.
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At this point, Detective Towhey said the men could have targeted 50 to 100 customers of the Bucks County Wawa alone.
As police continue to for the suspects, Towhey shared important tips for customers using ATMs inside stores.
“If you go to the ATM, whether you’ve been there 100 times or you’ve never been there before, when something doesn’t look right, don’t use it,” he said. “If it doesn’t look right, grab a hold of it. If you wiggle it or pull on it and it comes off, pieces aren’t supposed to come off ATMs once they’re installed. So, if pieces are coming off, I would say alert the bank wherever you are right away and don’t use the machines.”
If you have any information on the two suspects, police.
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