LEWISTON — More than a dozen people lost money in recent weeks when information from their ATM cards was stolen by a thief or thieves who went on spending sprees, police said.

One man said by the time he discovered his card had been compromised, more than $500 worth of purchases had been made with it. The spending took place in southern states, mostly Florida and Georgia, areas he had not visited.

That man was ultimately compensated by the bank that had issued his ATM card. He was also issued a new card, but when he tried to use it in Lewiston, the machine refused to return the card.

Similar headaches have been reported by ATM users in Lewiston and Auburn. It was unclear exactly how many had been victimized, but the problem was said to be on a larger scale than similar schemes tend to be. Dozens of people may have fallen prey.

“It was fairly widespread,” Deputy Chief James Minkowsky of the Lewiston Police Department said. “It involved both area banks and credit unions.”

Another man, a customer at a Lewiston bank, said he waited 10 days before his compromised card was replaced. A bank official explained that the wait was due in part to the sheer volume of people who had been victimized.

In Lewiston, a police detective was investigating, with the help of other officers from numerous agencies.

While the thievery remained under investigation, police were saying little about how the ATM cards were compromised. It was believed the culprit used a specific location — an area business — where he had devised a way to steal information from every card that was used.

The bulk of the victims appear to be people who live or work in Lewiston.

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