On Thursday, February 15, 2024, the Plano Police Department initiated a city-wide operation in collaboration with the Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center, the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations, and the United States Secret Service (USSS) to combat illegal ATM skimming activities.
Dubbed "Sanitize the City," the operation saw the participation of 30 law enforcement officials from various levels of government. Their objective was to inspect more than 500 potential points of vulnerability across Plano, including ATMs, retail establishments, motels, and gas stations.
The concerted effort aimed to proactively identify and dismantle operations employing skimming devices to unlawfully obtain financial information from unsuspecting individuals.
Despite evidence of tampering detected at some locations, authorities did not discover any skimming devices during the operation.
Christina Foley, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service's Dallas Field Office, emphasized the collaborative nature of the effort, stating, "The Secret Service works hand in hand with our law enforcement partners to help protect communities from financial crime. By being proactive with these investigations, we are able to not only prevent residents from becoming victims but gather the intelligence needed to track down those responsible and put a stop to these criminal operations."
The Plano Police Department reiterated its dedication to safeguarding citizens from financial crimes and pledged to continue working diligently to identify and apprehend individuals involved in such illicit activities.
