WASHINGTON - The U.S. Secret Service and state and local law enforcement partners conducted a payment card skimming and Electronic Benefit Transfer fraud outreach operation Sept. 5 in Birmingham, Ala., and the surrounding area.

Personnel from the U.S. Secret Service, Birmingham Police Department, Alabaster Police Department, Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, Hoover Police Department, Vestavia Hills Police Department, Shelby County Sheriff's Office visited more than 151 businesses in the greater Birmingham area to check for and remove illegal skimming devices from ATMs, gas pumps and point-of-sale terminals.

Three skimming devices were recovered during the operation. In total, more than 1,400 point-of-sale terminals, gas pumps and ATMs were inspected.

Teams also distributed educational materials about EBT fraud and card skimming to help businesses better identify the warning signs of illegal skimming devices in their point-of-sale terminals, gas pumps and ATMs.

"The number of illegal skimming devices and cases of EBT fraud continue to be an issue in the Birmingham area," said Patrick Davis, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service's Birmingham Field Office. "Our proactive approach not only identifies and removes skimmers, but also provides businesses with useful information to help them protect customers from falling victim to this crime."

This is the first time an outreach operation such as this has been conducted in the state of Alabama by the U.S. Secret Service.

"The Birmingham Police Department is thankful for the U. S. Secret Service's efforts in combatting EBT Fraud and illegal skimming devices," said Birmingham Police Chief Scott Thurmond. "This is a crime that effects all of us and these efforts will save millions of dollars."

"We would like to thank the Secret Service for their efforts in making sure our citizens are not targeted by illegal skimming operations that often steal money to be used for illicit activities," said Alabaster Police Chief Curtis Rigney.

"We appreciate the opportunity to work with our federal partners to target criminals who take advantage of people who are simply trying to go about their business, often times not realizing they've been victimized until days later," said Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis. "I applaud the efforts of the United States Secret Service in their quest to educate the public and business community on this crime."

"I am pleased that the U.S. Secret Service outreach operation, which included local law enforcement agencies, was a great success," Jefferson County Sheriff Mark Pettway said. "We are honored to be a part of such a robust and collaborative approach that targeted those who would commit fraud against our consumers. The safety of our citizens is my top priority."

"I'm incredibly grateful for the partnership between the Shelby County Sheriff's Office, the U.S. Secret Service, and all the other agencies involved in this joint operation," Shelby County Sheriff John Samaniego said. "While our efforts to locate and dismantle these devices are crucial, the most important aspect is educating the public on how to avoid becoming victims. By raising awareness and empowering individuals with knowledge, we can significantly reduce the impact of this type of fraud."

"In a joint effort to safeguard our community against financial crimes, the Vestavia Hills Police Department is thankful to have partnered with the United States Secret Service and many other local law enforcement partners to dismantle an EBT Fraud and Card Skimming Operation," said Vestavia Hills Police Chief Shane Ware. "I would like to express my gratitude for this successful collaboration, emphasizing the importance of proactive measures to protect our citizens."

EBT information and other payment card numbers are stolen when criminals install an illegal skimming device to the point-of-sale terminal in order to capture card information. They then encode the stolen data onto another card with a magnetic strip, such as a gift card or hotel key. It is estimated that skimming costs consumers and financial institutions more than $1 billion each year.

Law enforcement agencies have seen a nationwide increase in skimming over the past 18 months, particularly targeting EBT cards. EBT fraud targets the nation's most vulnerable communities. Each month, money is deposited into government assistance accounts intended to help families pay for food and other basic items. This enables criminals who steal card information to time their fraudulent withdrawals and purchases around the state government's monthly deposits.

There are several precautions consumers can take to protect themselves:

• Inspect ATMs, point-of-sale terminals, and other card readers before using. Look for anything loose, crooked, damaged, or scratched. Don't use a card reader if you notice anything unusual.
• If you use a debit card at a gas station, run it as a credit card instead of entering a PIN. That way, the PIN is safe, and the money isn't deducted immediately from your account. If that's not an option, cover they keypad with your hand when entering your PIN. Scammers sometimes use tiny pinhole cameras, situated above the keypad area, to record PIN entries. Use ATMs in a well-lit, indoor location, which are less vulnerable targets.
• Be alert for skimming devices in tourist areas, which are popular targets.
• Utilize debit and credit cards with chip technology. In the U.S., there are fewer devices that steal chip data versus magnetic strip data.

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