The Roanoke Rapids Police Department has seized a card-skimming device that was placed at the Eighth Street Dollar General.
The store filed a report on July 30 and Detective J. Salmon obtained video surveillance of two people who had placed the skimming device in the store on July 26, Chief Shane Guyant said.
He said it appears that this skimming device was functioning from the date it was placed until it was found. “During these four days it is unknown how many credit and/or debit cards could have been skimmed,” Guyant said. “It could possibly be that no data was compromised.”
https://rrspin.com/news/9373-police-seize-card-skimmer-from-8th-st-store.html#sigProId15d126fd6c
Guyant said the police department has thus far received no reports of unusual transactions from people who might have used their cards at the store.
The devices capture information until they can be taken back by the thief. “In this situation, this may have been avoided since the actual device was located and seized by law enforcement,” the police chief said.
Anyone who visited the store between July 26 and July 30 are encouraged to do the following:
Contact your bank or financial institution: The first thing you should do is contact your bank or card issuer to report the fraudulent activity. They can work quickly to cancel any compromised cards and issue a replacement to prevent the criminal from using it any further.
Check your account: You should review your account statement for any unusual or unauthorized transactions. Oftentimes, criminals will try and act fast by getting the most out of a stolen card as soon as possible. Look for large transactions relating to technology, appliances, travel, and anything else that might seem out of the ordinary.
Protect your identity: If your credit card was skimmed, consider placing a fraud alert or freeze on your credit report. This will prevent anyone from opening new accounts in your name.
Skimming is a type of fraud where criminals attach a device to a credit/debit card terminal or ATM to steal card information.
The device, called a skimmer, is designed to look like a legitimate card reader and can capture data from the magnetic stripe of your card.
Once your information is compromised, the criminals can use it to make unauthorized transactions or sell it on the black market.
The tap feature on your credit/debit card is safer because the skimming device cannot capture the data from the tap.
The skimmer only captures what is swiped. “You are encouraged to always be vigilant when using your credit/debit cards in a store,” he said.
Anyone with information is encouraged to call Crimestoppers at 252-583-4444 or via its website
