ATLANTA - The U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture Special Investigation Unit, and local law enforcement partners from throughout Georgia concluded a two-day outreach operation aimed at combatting illegal payment card skimming and Electronic Benefit Transfer fraud.
Law enforcement personnel on Aug. 7 – 8 visited more than 542 businesses in metro-Atlanta and Columbus 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 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.
This outreach operation was conducted by the U.S. Secret Service, along with the Atlanta, Columbus, Rome, City of South Fulton, Carrollton, DeKalb County, University of North Georgia, Marietta, and Kennesaw Police Departments. Sheriff’s deputies from the Fulton County, Muscogee County, Douglas County, Barrow County, Jackson County, Fayette County, and Cobb County Sheriff’s Offices, and troopers from the Georgia State Patrol also took part in the operation. 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.
Law enforcement agencies have seen a nationwide increase in skimming particularly targeting EBT cards. EBT fraud targets the nation’s most vulnerable communities. Each month, money is deposited into government assistance accounts intended to help families pay for food and other basic items. This enables criminals who steal card information to time their fraudulent withdrawals and purchases around the monthly deposits.
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.
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