Connecticut Suspects Are In Love With Ugly Hats This Season

Naugatuck Police are seeking the public's assistance in identifying an individual they believe placed a skimmer device on a self-checkout register at the local Walmart. A skimmer device allows the perpetrator to steal your money without even being at the checkout kiosk.

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Here is the alert posted by Naugatuck PD on their official Facebook page on Monday (7/22/24):

Attempt to Identify:

"The Naugatuck Police Department is trying to identify the person shown in the photograph. On Wednesday, July 17th, around 6:30 p.m., this individual placed a skimmer on a self-checkout register at Walmart.

A skimmer is a device that can be attached to ATMs and credit card machines to steal data such as credit card numbers and PIN codes. This information is used to create counterfeit cards. If you believe you may have been a victim, please contact your bank or credit card company's fraud department and report the incident to your local police department.

If you recognize this individual, please contact Officer Luis at 203-729-5222 or our confidential tip line at 203-720-1010."

But that is not all, News 8 reports reports police are searching for two more men in Hugo Boss hats that may be responsible for skim devices at a LaBonne's Market. WTNH writes:

LaBonne’s Markets is looking for whoever placed skimmers at its Prospect store, with the business offering a $500 cash reward leading to an arrest. Skimmers can look nearly identical to real card terminals, but steal a customer’s financial data so that criminals can clone a victim’s cards. Two men wearing Hugo Boss clothing bought items at 1 p.m. on June 29, and then placed a skimmer on a register while the cashier was making change, according to a post from the company. The skimmer was found the next day.

Here is the photo of those two individuals from the LaBonne's Facebook page.

It's Thursday, and both notices were issued on Monday, so it might be old news to you by now. However, my interest lies not in breaking the story, but in analyzing the suspects and their decision-making process.

Why do so many of these (alleged) criminals end up wearing distinctive items that make them easy to identify? Hugo Boss hat? Why not a cape and a monocle? Maybe a Rolly Fingers style mustache and clown shoes? Well played son(s), well played.

ALSO!!!!!!

When was the last time you saw someone wearing a tan hat outside of a golf course? Who even knew these hats were still a thing? I'm no fashion expert, but lets get real here. Tan hats should be reserved exclusively for wealthy bald men driving vintage convertibles on the Saw Mill River Parkway. Hugo Boss hats should only be worn by the guys who run the mall kiosks, selling discount Iphone cases.

I really need to start a crime school or a fashion blog or some combination of the two. I can call it "Project Robbery."

Check out the Ethan, Lou & Large Dave Podcast on Apple and Spotify

How to Spot a Credit Card Skimmer

Time says:

Credit card skimmers are physical—often bulky—apparatuses that you should be able to spot. Some skimmers appear uncannily official, whether they’re a simple extension inserted into the credit card reader or an intricate shell that covers the entire terminal. The easiest way to detect a credit card skimmer is to yank, pull, and tug. Before you put your card into a point-of-sale terminal, wiggle a few parts of the machine to see if anything is loose.

 

The Berlin Police Department adds:

• Check for alignment issues between the card reader and the panel underneath it
• Skimmers are often placed on top of the actual card reader making it stick out at an odd angle or cover arrows in a panel

Check out the Ethan, Lou & Large Dave Podcast on Apple and Spotify

Why do I bother working for a living? It seems there are more people stealing than actually going to a job each day.