A crime capable of draining your bank account in seconds is turning up at stores, ATMs, and gas stations across Connecticut. Bridgeport police are now searching for a man accused of attempting to install a card-skimming device inside a local supermarket.
Skimming involves criminals placing devices on card readers, ATMs, and gas pumps to steal credit, debit, and EBT card information.
A Bridgeport surveillance camera caught one man attempting to do exactly that this week at Gala Foods Supermarket.
“He gave my cashier a 100-dollar bill, and while she was doing the transaction, he tried to put a skimmer on the cc machine,” said Carlos Pena, the owner of Gala Foods Supermarket.
Bridgeport police are investigating the skimming attempt. The suspect’s device appears to have failed to latch onto the supermarket’s register.
“That’s when the cashier noticed something weird was going on.”
The video then shows the man fleeing the scene.
Pena said this isn’t the first time someone has attempted something like this at the store — which is why they keep loss prevention staff on hand and maintain constant vigilance.
“We have a special scanner that scans all the terminals for every 20 minutes, we scan each terminal to be safe,” said Pena.
Police advise shoppers to check card readers for loose parts, cover the keypad when entering their PIN, and keep a close eye on their bank accounts.
EBT cardholders face added vulnerability since the cards offer no tap-to-pay or cash option. For that reason, the state recommends that EBT users lock their cards when not in use and change their PINs frequently.
“We do our part, but if they don’t change the technology, there’s going to be a lot of issues going on,” said Pena.