Several shoppers were hit hard by the nearly invisible info-stealing device uncovered at a Walmart in Virginia .
The heartless scheme was uncovered after shopper Tammy filled her cart with about $400 worth of groceries and headed to checkout at a Walmart in Lynchburg, about two hours west of Richmond. She thought she had enough money on her EBT card to pay for the haul, but after scanning it at the register, she was shocked to find only 24 cents left on it, reported CBS local affiliate WDBJ.
“I had about $400 in groceries, and suddenly my food stamp card was almost empty,” said Tammy. “By 2:33 am, they started stealing my food stamps, and until 2:38 am, my whole total was gone.”
Police traced Tammy’s issue back to skimmers installed on card readers at stores throughout the area. The razor-thin devices can instantly capture sensitive information from unsuspecting shoppers every time they swipe a card at checkout.
“These devices are super easy, unfortunately, to install,” said Katie Jennings, a crime prevention specialist with the Lynchburg Police Department. “They slip right over the payment terminals. You can find them at gas terminals, or self-checkouts, or even at the checkout where there is a cashier.”
Authorities arrested and charged one suspect linked to the crime – Florin Doroiman, a Romanian national.
“Our partners at Walmart have great cameras that not only lead us to a suspect but also to the suspect’s vehicle,” said Jennings.
Tammy, meanwhile, is one of several outraged customers who reported watching cash drain from their cards.
According to the customer, EBT can’t reimburse her, leaving her wishing there were better protections for food stamp recipients. “I would definitely like to see if they could put chips on these cards,” she said.
“Food stamp cards only have the back strip – that’s it.”
Police are continuing their investigation and warning shoppers to remain vigilant.
RISE IN CARD THEFT
Earlier in March, Gastonia police in North Carolina found a device at Walmart was stealing card details in real-time, passing them straight to scammers. This card-swiping gadget was one of five devices found at different stores in the same area.
Since at least 2021, EBT card data has been a prime target for criminal groups using card skimming and other tactics. EBT and other public-benefit cards are major targets because they are mostly not equipped with chip technology.
According to the FBI, point-of-sale skimming devices, such as those capturing EBT card data, are generally designed as overlays to the POS terminal and have wireless transmission capabilities.
These may be present in any market, convenience store, or retailer.
News Credit: WBDJ
Alert: Our protection team at The New-American News advises readers to closely monitor their bank accounts for any suspicious transactions within 15-30 minutes of using their cards at self-checkout machines. To protect yourself, please be vigilant and report any unfamiliar activity to your bank immediately.”