Business establishments on Prince Edward Island are at the mercy of a group of thieves that is targeting their ATMs.

On January 9, an ATM was stolen from a Shell gas station in Bloomfield, P.E.I. According to CBC News, this is the fourth incident in the last two months involving such a theft.

Learn more about theft insurance here.

Another ATM was stolen from the Mount Stewart Irving on January 03 and one was taken from a convenience store in O’Leary in November, authorities said. In December, police investigating a break-in at a gas station in Wellington found that thieves had attempted to take the ATM, but failed to remove the machine from the premises.

A-OK Fast Cash ATM Rental Sales & Services, the owner and operator of three of the stolen ATMs, announced yesterday that it is offering a cash reward of $500 for information that leads to the arrest of the suspected thieves. The company operates over 60 machines across the Maritimes.

“Hopefully if they get caught, they get a few years in jail,” A-OK owner Michael Gaudet told CBC News. “I’m hoping the reward helps.”

Gaudet suspects that the thefts are all connected.

“The first one I thought it was an isolated thing, then the next two, they were within a week,” he said. “It was disheartening to see that happening around here.”

He did not reveal how much money he lost, but he did project that it would take more than a year to recoup the losses.

“They’ve had a big impact on me, the loss of the ATMs, loss of income,” Gaudet explained. “The stolen money was a big loss because the money’s not insured.”

According to Gaudet, the machines cost about $5,500 each, which may be covered by the store’s insurance.

 
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