Bank Skimmer Snagged in Gulf Shores

An automatic teller machine. A perfect place to get quick cash. That's what one man was trying to do only the cash wasn't his.

Looking at a police photo of the ATM at the Gulf Shores branch of BB&T bank, nothing really looks out of place. But a closer look at the place where you insert your card and a mirror above the key pad and

that is not suppose to be there.

"We've never seen it before," says Gulf Shores detective Chad Lambert. "We have heard about it, trained on it. This is the first actual device we've seen."

It's called "skimming" and it's what lead police to arrest 37 year old Bruce Klein of Silverhill. They say he used a home made cover, complete with an electronic skimmer and computer port, to steal information every time a card was swiped. Behind the mirror a tiny camera recording pin numbers punched into the key pad.

"So he could use the camera's time and the swipe time and compare them and that way he would have the actual pin number," says Lambert.

One swipe of your ATM card and Klein had enough information not only to wipe out your bank account but to do a lot of other stuff as well according to Lambert. "He could go to a gas station. He could go to ATM and actually with your information he could order on-line. anywhere you can use a credit card he could use it, your number, your information."

Lambert says while the investigation is continuing they believe they caught Klein before he was able to retrieve any information.

Police were notified about the devices through the company that installs and monitors automatic teller machines. Police staked out the ATM and once Klein came to retrieve his property, he was arrested.

Klein is charged with identity theft and tampering with computer equipment. The secret service is also helping with the investigation.

BB&T had no comment while the investigation continues.