(KAIR)--A stolen financial card leads to more than $4,000 in unauthorized charges.

That word comes in a news release issued Monday by Atchison County Sheriff Jack Laurie.

The investigation into the theft shows that the card, stolen from a Cummings resident, was used between May 3 and May 16, resulting in charges of $4,400.

Laurie says the card information has been used to make purchases in a number of places, specifically the Kansas City area.

Laurie says the investigation is continuing, and there's not yet any suspect in the crime.

He says it's believed that the card itself was not stolen. Instead, investigators believe whoever is responsible gained the information through the use of a skimmer.

A skimmer is defined by PC Magazine as a malicious card reader attached to a legitimate payment terminals to harvest data from every person that swipes a credit or debit card.

Security experts warn that such devices are often used by identity thieves at ATM machines and gas pumps.