US Secret Service Prevents $428 Million in Fraud From Card-Skimming Operations

There has been a nationwide increase in such schemes, especially targeting electronic benefits transfer cards, the agency said.

A person inserts a debit card into an ATM in Pittsburgh, PA. on Jan. 5, 2013. Gene J. Puskar/AP Photo

The U.S. Secret Service (USSS) investigated 60,000 point-of-sale card readers and terminals last year, identifying illegal card-skimming devices and preventing more than $428 million in theft, the agency said in a Jan. 16 post on X.

In total, the USSS conducted 22 outreach operations targeting electronic benefits transfer (EBT) fraud and ATM skimming in multiple cities last year, involving more than 9,000 businesses and resulting in the removal of 411 illegal skimming devices, according to a statement released on Jan. 7.