Walmart shoppers warned to check accounts as thief caught on cam installing info-stealing device, it happened in seconds
SCAMMERS have been caught placing a skimmer device on a credit card machine while shopping at Walmart.
Multiple other locations have also reported finding similar devices at their stores.
The illegal scamming technology is made to fit over a credit card machine and steal your information.
In security footage from 2023, two men and a woman are on one side of the register while an employee cashes them out at a Walmart in Oswego, New York, according to CBS affiliate WROC.
One of the men begins to count out change, distracting the woman long enough for the other man to snap on a skimmer device.
He is captured pressing the device to the credit card machine to ensure a seamless fit.
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The woman has her arm around the man and her body blocking the view of the alleged crime from other people who may be waiting in line.
Once they were pleased, they quickly walked away from the scanner and the man handling the money continued to wait for the employee to finish counting his many coins.
ARRESTED SUSPECT
It took a few days before the retail giant caught on to the scamming scheme.
Other reports of skimmers started to roll in from other upstate locations including Onondaga, Cayuga, Cortland, Seneca, and Steuben Counties in upstate New York.
Walmarts in New Hampshire, Maine, and Massachusetts were also affected.
The skimmers were placed at the retailer between July 2, 2023, and July 8, 2023, before a Walmart employee realized something was wrong.
During the seven days, 27,144 credit card and 2,195 debit card numbers were compromised.
The major scam led to at least $10,000 in suspicious transactions and money loss.
Customers who went to the locations in early July were told to check their bank accounts and keep an eye out for fraudulent activity.
Police also recommend that shoppers use credit cards rather than debit cards as it is easier to be reimbursed.
What is a skimmer device?
A skimmer device is a fraud tool designed to steal sensitive information from credit or debit cards during transactions.
- Imagine a skimmer device as a sneaky thief that hides on ATMs or card machines.
- Its job is to secretly steal your credit or debit card information when you use it for a transaction.
- These devices are like tiny spies that can copy your card details, including the card number and PIN, without you even realizing it.
- Skimmers can be cleverly disguised to look just like the regular card reader, making them hard to spot.
- Once they have your information, bad guys can use it to make fake cards or buy things without your permission, causing a lot of trouble and stress.
- It's important to always be cautious and check for anything unusual on card machines before using them to protect yourself from these sneaky devices.
If a credit card machine looks damaged or is wobbly, it could have been tampered with and should not be used.
On April 10, police filed a criminal complaint for suspect Romario Serban.
He was believed to have entered the United States illegally.
“According to reports from United States Customs and Border Patrol (“CBP”), the most recent travel information on Serban is that Serban left the United States in 2018 on a flight to Portugal," according to the affidavit.
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"CBP believes that Serban most likely crossed back into the United States illegally.”
Serban was found and arrested in Charlotte, North Carolina, for his alleged participation in “a fraudulent credit card skimming scheme involving 19 Walmart stores, primarily located in New York.”