Federal and local agents say they quietly headed off a multimillion-dollar crime spree last Monday, yanking five hidden card-skimming devices during a Northern California outreach sweep targeting EBT and payment-card fraud.
The operation stretched across communities in Sacramento County and Napa County, where teams checked thousands of point-of-sale terminals and fuel pumps. Officials said the devices, pulled from convenience stores and gas stations, represented a potential loss of more than $5 million.
Law enforcement’s outreach sweep
As reported by FOX40, the U.S. Secret Service’s Northern California team teamed up with the Napa County Sheriff’s Office and inspector general units from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services.
All told, the joint effort hit roughly 510 businesses and inspected more than 3,000 point-of-sale terminals, gas pumps and ATMs in a single day. Along the way, agents handed out educational materials to merchants that focused on preventing EBT fraud and card skimming, officials said.
Officials’ message and what was found
In a press release cited by the U.S. Secret Service, agency spokesperson Ryan Cole said the sweep’s goal was to “find and remove skimming devices before card numbers can fall into the hands of criminals.”…