SAVANNAH, GA - The U.S. Secret Service, and local law enforcement partners conducted a payment card skimming and Electronic Benefit Transfer fraud outreach operation in various cities throughout Southeast Georgia August 12-14, 2025.
“We are grateful for the assistance of our law enforcement partners at Savannah, Chatham County, Glynn County, and Garden City Police Departments in stopping EBT fraud and skimming in the Coastal Empire,” said Resident Agent in Charge Craig Reno of the U.S. Secret Service Savannah Resident Office. “Those perpetrating this type of crime are preying on some of the most vulnerable people in our community, and collective efforts like this help protect those who can least afford to become victims of fraud.”
Law enforcement personnel visited more than 156 businesses to check for and remove illegal skimming devices from ATMs, gas pumps and point-of-sale terminals. Eight skimming devices were recovered during the operation preventing an estimated potential loss of $8.3 million. In total, more than 497 point-of-sale terminals, 560 gas pumps and 75 ATMs were inspected.
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 operation is part of a nationwide effort by the U.S. Secret Service to target EBT fraud and skimming in areas where it is prevalent.
Criminals steal EBT and other payment card numbers by installing illegal skimming devices on ATMs, gas pumps, and merchant point-of-sale terminals. They use skimming to capture card information from EBT cards and then encode that data onto another card with a magnetic strip, such as a hotel key. 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 in recent years, 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:
- Use tap to pay whenever possible. Utilizing this from your phone’s wallet is an even more secure way of paying than tap to pay with your physical card.
- Inspect ATMs, point-of-sale terminals, and other card readers before using. Look for anything loose, crooked, damaged, or scratched. Don't use a card reader if you notice anything unusual.
- If you use a debit card at a gas station, run it as a credit card instead of entering a PIN. That way, the PIN is safe, and the money isn’t deducted immediately from your account. If that’s not an option, cover your hand when entering your PIN. Scammers sometimes use tiny pinhole cameras, situated above the keypad area, to record PIN 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.
- Use debit and credit cards with chip technology. In the U.S., there are fewer devices that steal chip data versus magnetic strip data.
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