Roanoke Rapids Police have seized a card skimming device that was located at the Dollar General on Eighth Street.
The store filed a report on July 30, and Detective J. Salmon obtained video surveillance of two people placing the skimming device in the store on July 26, Police Chief Shane Guyant said.
He said it appears that this skimming device worked from the day it was placed until the day it was found. “It is unknown how many credit and/or debit cards may have been skimmed during those four days,” Guyant said. “It may be that no data was compromised.”
Guyant said police have not yet received any reports of unusual transactions from people who may have used their cards at the store.
The devices store information until it can be recovered by the thief. “In this case, this could have potentially been avoided because the actual device was found and seized by law enforcement,” the police chief said.
Anyone who visited the store between July 26 and 30 is asked to do the following:
Contact your bank or financial institution: The first thing you should do is contact your bank or card issuer and report the fraudulent activity. They can quickly block any compromised cards and issue replacement cards to prevent the criminal from using them any further.
Check your account: You should check your bank statement for any unusual or unauthorized transactions. Often, criminals will try to act quickly by getting the most out of a stolen card as quickly as possible. Watch for large transactions involving technology, appliances, travel, and anything else that might seem unusual.
Protect your identity: If your credit card has been scalped, consider setting up a fraud alert or a hold on your credit report. This will prevent anyone from opening new accounts in your name.
Skimming is a type of fraud in which criminals connect a device to a credit/debit card terminal or ATM to steal card information.
The device, called a skimmer, looks like a regular card reader and can capture data from the magnetic stripe of your card.
Once your data is compromised, criminals can use it for unauthorized transactions or sell it on the black market.
The tap feature on your credit/debit card is more secure because the skimming device cannot capture the data through the tap.
The skimmer only records what is swiped. “We advise you to always be vigilant when using your credit/debit card in a store,” he said.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crimestoppers at 252-583-4444 or visit the website
