Several Walmart stores hit by credit card skimmers: What to look for

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — Skimming devices have been installed by suspected scammers in at least five New York Walmart stores over the last week, local police departments confirmed to Nexstar’s WSYR.

Investigations have been opened after devices were found in stores in Granby, East Syracuse, Camillus, Auburn and Oswego.

In each case, the machine was installed on Sunday, July 2, and discovered on Wednesday, July 5.

Surveillance images released by police in Auburn, Camillus, and Oswego show the same three people either entering the store or tampering with the credit card terminal.

They’re accused of adding a skimming device, which is a cover that looks just like the machine, but it steals a customer’s credit card information when the card is inserted.

“It’s been called ‘gutsy’ to put those devices where they were located, because it’s a very public area,” said FBI Supervisory Special Agent Samantha Baltzersen.

Skimmers typically attack the most vulnerable cards: cards requiring the swipe of a magnetic strip. Advanced skimmers can even steal information from the newer chip cards, but it’s less frequent.

Police in New York haven’t determined how advanced the skimmers are used in this string.

Police also haven’t received reports of any victims in the Walmart skimming cases yet, but people who used their credit cards over those four days at the impacted Walmarts should be on high alert for fraudulent charges.

“They’ll try to hit where they see weaknesses in the system or weaknesses in the locations,” said Debbie Cobb, a senior director of product management at FICO.

Cobb said anytime you see a credit card payment terminal that looks like it may have been tampered with or has something attached to it, you should exercise caution and avoid using it to pay.

FICO shared more advice on what to look for and how to protect yourself:

What should consumers look out for?

How can consumers protect themselves from card skimming?

What should consumers look out for?How can consumers protect themselves from card skimming?

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Several Walmart stores hit by credit card skimmers: What to look for