Police have released photos of a man they believe may be tied to a case of credit card skimming on the Canada Line last month.
The photos captured by a security camera in one of the stations show a man who appears to be between 30 and 40. He's described as white and about 6-1, with a thin build and medium brown hair that is longer on the top and shaved on the sides.
On the day he was seen on video, he was clean shaven and carrying a courier bag. He wore slim fitted pants, pointed dress shoes and a navy blue blazer.
The man in the images is believed to be connected in some way to debit and credit card skimmers found at two transit stations, Metro Vancouver Transit Police said. The skimmers, small devices thieves use to steal card information, were found on Compass Card vending machines on July 8 at YVR-Airport and Vancouver City Centre stations.
The skimmers were stuck over the slots where a user would insert their payment card, and were built in the same shape as the slots already on the machines.
They were found by alert attendants who regularly check the machines for signs of damage and tampering. The machines were immediately shut down and police were called in.
Due to regular checks, it was determined the two devices at YVR were found the day they were installed. However, officials do not know exactly when the skimmer at City Centre was attached.
The skimmers were forensically analyzed, and experts determined they included a camera to film cardholders entering their PIN. Each camera used a micro SD card which would need to be physically removed by those intending to steal information.
The skimmers were located before the suspect was able to retrieve the cards.
They also had a card reader which is used to collect data. Each reader was equipped with Bluetooth capabilities with a range of 10 metres, police said.
So far, police have not received any reports from the public of compromised debit or credit cards that appear to be related to the skimmers found in July.
The investigation is ongoing, and anyone who recognizes the suspect, witnessed the incident or has more information is asked to call the tip line at 604-516-7419.
