Alleged ATM skimmer targets local Chase Bank customers

A 29-year-old Sun Valley man who allegedly used an electronic skimmer to steal key account information from Chase Bank customers at a La Quinta branch was expected in court Friday.

Vahe Ruben Yerkanyan was arrested Tuesday at the Chase branch at 74-930 Country Club Drive in Palm Desert, where he was allegedly trying to use the stolen information to get cash.

Yerkanyan was jailed in Indio in lieu of $5,000 bail and expected to be arraigned Friday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio, according to jail records.

Sheriff’s Sgt. Steve DaSilva said that, on Sunday, a man went into a vestibule at the Chase branch at 78-805 Highway 111 in La Quinta on three occasions, installing and removing a skimming device.

On Tuesday, a security guard at the Palm Desert bank alerted law enforcement that someone was trying to use stolen account information there, he said.

Yerkanyan was booked on suspicion of fraudulent use of a debit/credit card, identity theft, and burglary, DaSilva said.