DORAL, Fla. — They’re small. They’re sneaky. And in seconds, they can drain your bank account.
Only Local 10 News was granted exclusive access to a sweeping, high-stakes federal operation aimed at protecting your money. For two full days, we were embedded with Secret Service agents and their partners as they scoured South Florida for hidden credit card skimmers.
It didn’t take long to strike gold or in this case, fraud. At a busy gas station in Doral, two pumps quickly turned into crime scenes.
“We then used a Skim Buster to see if there was a skimmer in there and it did point out that it was,” one federal agent explained. “We took some tweezers out and pulled it out a little and you can see it’s stuck.”
That discovery was just the beginning. Over the course of the mission, 26 teams swept through gas stations, grocery stores, and big box retailers.
“This is the biggest group we have ever had, the most number of teams,” said one official during a pre-dawn briefing.
In total, 10 skimmers were discovered and pulled off the street before unsuspecting consumers became victims.
“It’s not like in the past where they go in and try robbing a bank, now it’s easier,” said Rafael Barros, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Miami Field Office.
Criminals are targeting high-traffic retailers, places where hundreds of people swipe cards daily.
“They want a lot of people coming in. The more people, the more cards, the more cards, the more money they can steal,” said Mark Haskins, Branch Chief of Special Investigations for the USDA.
Installing a skimmer takes only seconds. Local 10 was shown just how easy it is to install a fake keypad right on top of a real one.
“Just like that,” an agent demonstrated.
Once in place, these devices secretly capture your card data giving criminals everything they need to clone your card and empty your account. The Secret Service says the threat is especially serious for EBT cards, which are issued by the government to help low-income families pay for food.
“EBT cards right now are the biggest area being attacked by fraudsters,” said Haskins.
Unlike credit cards, EBT cards often lack chip technology and don’t offer protections or reimbursements for stolen funds.
The effort included not just the U.S. Secret Service and USDA, but also state and local law enforcement agencies.
“South Florida has always been the petri dish for white collar crime and new types of crime,” said one agent during a team briefing.
According to the feds, each skimmer removed from circulation could prevent up to $1 million in fraud.
So what can you do to protect yourself? Experts recommend inspecting card readers before using them check for loose parts, mismatched colors, or anything that doesn’t feel quite right.
“The tap is a lot safer as of right now than sliding the card with the chip,” said Barros.
“I’ll use credit rather than debit… at least my credit card’s protected,” added Haskins.
All skimmers and fake keypads seized during the operation will be tested for fingerprints and other forensic evidence because in this game, the ultimate goal isn’t just finding the device, it’s catching the people behind it.
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