Police have found 10 credit card skimmers at convenience stores in Prince George’s County over the last few weeks, and they say shoppers need to keep an eye out.
“We wanted to notify the community to be on the lookout for these devices,” Lt. Joseph Bellino, of the Prince George’s County Police Department’s Financial Crimes Section, said.
Police said criminals are targeting convenience and discount store shoppers. They found the latest device on Wednesday morning.
“[It's] scary. I guess you can’t shop anywhere now safe,” shopper George Campbell said.
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Employees at a 7-Eleven on Greenbelt Road and 58th Avenue said they found a skimmer in early April. According to authorities, that was just the beginning of what they call an organized crime operation.
Over the next few weeks, detectives got calls from several other convenience stores across the county, located in the:
- 4500 block of Saint Barnabas Road in Temple Hills
- 3000 block of Forestville Road in Forestville
- 6100 block of Oxon Hill Road in Oxon Hill
- 6800 block of Race Track Road in Unincorporated Bowie
- 6300 block of Central Avenue in Seat Pleasant
- 11000 block of Baltimore Avenue in Beltsville
- 9100 block of Riggs Road in Chillum area
Investigators said the thieves typically target stores in high traffic areas, which is why police want to get the word out.
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“It’s made to look exactly like the actual point of sale machine and fits like a glove on top of it,” Bellino said. “Usually with a swipe of your credit card, it allows the payment to go through so that the business will get paid, but in the process it’s also capturing your private information.”
Police released a photo of one of the skimmers they recovered, but the devices can come in all shapes and sizes, so shoppers should be careful when swiping.
“If you insert your chip and it doesn't function and the system forces you to swipe, we believe that that’s an indicator, because the swiping itself is unencrypted because it’s the easiest way for them to capture your data,” Bellino said.
Prince George’s County police could not confirm if the devices they discovered are connected to the skimmers D.C. police found in several grocery stores last month.
“What we do know is these are large, organized and transient groups that travel in and out of our region,” Bellino said.
So when in doubt, tap to pay, and give your bank or credit card company a heads up if you think you’ve become a victim.
Campbell said he’s not taking any chances.
“How can you trust one of these machines?” he asked. “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.”
Detectives say if you’re out shopping and you find one of those devices, leave it there and let the store know so they can call the police.
