A three-day operation led by federal agencies resulted in the removal of 17 payment card skimming devices across the greater Los Angeles area, preventing an estimated $17.7 million in potential losses, officials said.
Joint Operation LAX, led by the U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, was conducted Aug. 4-6 and included visits to 328 businesses and inspections of more than 1,700 point-of-sale terminals, gas pumps and ATMs, according to authorities.
Officials from both agencies also distributed educational materials about Electronic Benefit Transfer fraud and payment card skimming to help businesses identify illegal devices that criminals may have installed…