When the Secret Service recently conducted a two-day operation in metro Atlanta and Columbus aimed at combatting card skimming and EBT fraud, it had help from several local law enforcement agencies including three from the Gainesville area.
Law enforcement personnel on Aug. 7–8 visited more than 540 businesses, conducting 3,408 inspections, checking for and removing illegal skimming devices from ATMs, gas pumps and point-of-sale terminals. A total of 41 skimming devices were recovered during the operation preventing an estimated potential loss of $43.7 million.
They also distributed educational materials about EBT (Electronic Benefit Transfer) fraud and skimming to businesses to help them better identify the warning signs of illegal skimming devices in their point-of-sale terminals, gas pumps and ATMs.
Local agencies from our area that participated were the University of North Georgia Police Department and the Barrow and Jackson County sheriff’s offices. According to the Secret Service, the multi-jurisdictional program may be used as a model for other areas around the country where EBT fraud and skimming is prevalent.
Criminals often steal EBT and other payment card numbers by installing illegal skimming devices on ATMs, gas pumps, and merchant point-of-sale terminals. Scammers use skimming technology to capture card information from EBT cards and encode that data onto another card with a magnetic strip. It is estimated that skimming costs financial institutions and consumers more than $1 billion each year.
There are several precautions consumers can take to protect themselves:
• Inspect ATMs, point-of-sale terminals, and other card readers. Look for anything loose, crooked, damaged, or scratched. Do not use a card reader if anything appears unusual.
• Whenever possible, use tap-to-pay technology or use debit and credit cards with chip technology.
• If using a debit card at a gas station, run it as a credit card to avoid entering a PIN number. If that is not an option, consumers should use their hand to hide their PIN to block scammers who may be using tiny pinhole cameras above the keypad area to record entries. Use ATMs in a well-lit, indoor location, which are less vulnerable targets.
• Be alert for skimming devices in tourist areas, which are popular targets.