SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV)—The FBI said that it’s estimated that card skimmers cost financial institutions and consumers more than $1 billion each year.
In August 2024, the Chatham County Police Department (CCPD) warned merchants and consumers to be on the lookout for skimmers after two were found in local stores.
Card skimmers look very similar to legitimate card readers. The CCPD said that the fraudulent card skimmers often appear slightly thicker and may lack the protective keypad covering designed to minimize what bystanders can see when a customer is typing numbers during a transaction.
Because the differences are so slight and may not be immediately noticeable to customers, merchants are also urged to make frequent checks of their card readers to make sure they have not been tampered with, the CCPD said.
According to Capital One, when a card is skimmed, its details can be stolen via the card’s magnetic strip. This then allows for the scammer to take things like the cardholder’s name, card number and expiration date can be copied and used in fraudulent ways.