Eunice, Louisiana (kulfi) — Eunice Walmart has become the latest victim in an ongoing problem of placing credit card skimmers on top of card payment machines to steal cash and personal information.
Eunice Police posted an image of surveillance video inside the Walmart store showing two unidentified suspects distracting the cashier and setting up a card skimming device before leaving the store and running toward a nearby shopping center. It was shown that he was leaving, but he was no longer visible in the video.
As the search for suspects continues, Better Business Bureau’s Chris Babin said reports of businesses dealing with this type of crime continue to increase year on year, as fewer and fewer people pay with cash. said.
“Last year in 2022, there were over 161,000 reports nationwide of these types of devices being installed in POS systems,” Babin said.
In these cases, where card readers are installed in grocery stores, customers monitor their bank accounts to identify fraudulent activity and trace it back to the store.
There are also tips that both customers and business owners can use to prevent this type of crime from occurring.
“As a consumer, you often see things like security tape that says it hasn’t been tampered with, so that’s something to be aware of before you swipe or insert your card,” Babin said. “Businesses, please know that these people are good people and it doesn’t take long for them to tamper with your device, so keep them out in public. Even if they have a camera. Make sure your camera can capture the activity in case something like this happens.”
We also recommend shaking the card reader before inserting your card. If it is loose, it may have been tampered with.
Anyone with information regarding the identity or whereabouts of the two suspects is asked to contact the Eunice Police Department.