ATM FIENDS ON A SPREE OF RIP-OFFS By LARRY CELONA and ANDY GELLER [My security group at Citicorp (which designed and built the crypto systems for our ATMs and switching fabric processors) predicted in the late '80s that Van Eck freaking an ATM might be a successful way to eavesdrop on PINs and card info.] November 17, 2001 -- EXCLUSIVE The NYPD and the Secret Service have launched a major investigation into complaints that bank customers have lost thousands of dollars through unauthorized ATM withdrawals. Since last Saturday, the NYPD has received more than a dozen complaints of unauthorized withdrawals, mostly from people who have used ATMs on the Upper East Side. But customers who use ATMs in the Financial District and the West Side have also been hit. Cops are expanding their probe citywide and expect to find many more cases. Sources said most of the complaints involve Citibank customers, but people who bank with Chase and other institutions also have been victimized. Customers have lost up to $3,000 apiece - even though their bank cards have never left their possession. Most of the victims are people who used ATMs in grocery stores, delis and shopping malls, the sources said. Investigators believe that the thieves have managed to hook up personal computers to the ATM and download information about customers, the sources said. Then they make phony bank cards and withdraw money using the customers' personal identification numbers.