COPS have warned shoppers in a major U.S. area to look out for data-stealing devices after 10 were spotted within two weeks.
Shopper George Campbell described the situation as “scary” after police stated an organized crime operation had been targetting certain stores in the Washington D.C. area.
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10 credit card skimmers were found at convenience and discount stores in Prince George’s County in Maryland, according to NBC affiliate WRC-TV.
Skimmers are devices that fraudsters use to retrieve information like card details and PINs when people insert or swipe to pay.
They are made to look like payment terminals and can sometimes be placed over keypads and card slots.
These devices can often be hard to spot as they are made to look no different from payment machines.
Lt. Joseph Bellino, of the Prince George’s County Police Department’s Financial Crimes Section, put out a warning to all shoppers.
“We wanted to notify the community to be on the lookout for these devices,” he said.
The police department said the last discovery was made on Wednesday, May 1.
Local shopper George Campbell shared his concerns following the worrying news, according to WRC-TV.
“[It’s] scary. I guess you can’t shop anywhere now safe,” he said.
Campbell expressed his worries about using card machines because of this type of fraud.
“How can you trust one of these machines?” he added.
“All of your information is out there and it’s gone.
“Observe the machine, what you’re going to use before you insert your card.”
Police also explained that this supposed crime ring had targeted stores in busy and high-traffic areas.
Top tips on avoiding scams from a bank
As scams become more sophisticated with the use of artificial intelligence, it is important you know how to spot a scam:
- Be skeptical of online deals that seem too good to be true, especially on social media.
- Scammers will often use tactics to make you panicked so you make quick decisions – be cautious if you are told to take immediate action and verify who has contacted you.
- Chase Bank warns customers to “never return any unexpected funds without calling Chase first.”
- Never send money to someone you have only spoken to online or by phone as this is likely a romance scam.
- Unless you 100% know who you are talking to, never give someone remote access to your device.
- Never accept help from strangers at an ATM and always be vigilant when making withdrawals.
- Do not send money or click any links indicating that you have won a prize.
Source: Chase.com
One of the affected locations was a 7-Eleven store on Greenbelt Road and 58th Avenue.
Police said staff at the store reported a potential card skimmer in early April.
Officials in other parts of the country have warned shoppers about other in-store acts of fraud they could face.
With graduation season approaching, cops in Los Angeles warned students about a scam that could see them lose $200.
Fraudsters have reportedly recruited students to target people at local grocery stores and claim they need $200 for their caps and gowns.
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