A Baltimore man is under arrest after investigators say he quietly turned convenience store checkouts into a card-skimming operation stretching across parts of Maryland.
Deputies who searched his Baltimore home say they found 15 skimming devices, 71 encoded cards, equipment used to manufacture encoded cards, and nearly $21,000 in cash. Authorities report the suspect has been charged with possession of skimming devices and identity fraud as a multi-jurisdiction investigation continues.
According to CBS Baltimore, 20-year-old Becam CiuCiu was taken into custody last Thursday after an investigation involving police from several counties. Officials told the outlet that investigators linked a series of skimming incidents to pin pads at multiple 7-Eleven locations in Calvert County, with the activity beginning in October 2025. The sheriff's office says the search turned up the devices, dozens of encoded cards and cash, and that additional charges or arrests remain on the table.
How Skimmers Steal Payment Data
Card-skimming devices are built to copy the magnetic-strip data on a payment card and, in some setups, the user’s PIN. That can happen through a fake pin-pad overlay or a tiny camera aimed at the keypad.
In a press release via the U.S. Secret Service, officials say these kinds of schemes are part of a broader pattern involving EBT and payment-card fraud and warn that skimming has become a growing problem. Federal authorities estimate skimming costs financial institutions and consumers hundreds of millions to more than $1 billion each year.
Where Investigators Say Devices Were Placed
Investigators told CBS Baltimore the first cases involved skimmers attached to pin pads at 7-Eleven stores in Calvert County starting in October 2025, and that detectives followed leads that crossed jurisdictional lines.
Per CBS Baltimore, the devices were compact and designed to blend in with the existing card reader, making them harder for clerks or customers to notice in a quick checkout run. Local and federal agencies are now working together to identify victims and track down any remaining illegal devices on merchant terminals.
Part Of A Wider Enforcement Push
The arrest lands in the middle of a broader Secret Service effort targeting skimming in the region. A fall sweep in Baltimore removed dozens of illegal readers and was credited with preventing nearly $22.9 million in potential losses, local coverage reported.
That multi-agency operation inspected thousands of point-of-sale terminals and ATMs and handed out educational materials to businesses to help them spot tampered machines. For background on that sweep, see how agents helped thwart $22.9M fraud from Hoodline report.
Tips To Protect Your Card
Authorities urge customers to give ATMs and pin pads a quick once-over before using them. If a reader looks loose, crooked, unusually thick, or just off, they say to skip the transaction and alert staff or use another machine.
The U.S. Secret Service also recommends using tap-to-pay or chip transactions when possible, running a debit card as credit at the pump, and shielding the keypad when entering a PIN, according to agency guidance. If you think your card data was compromised, officials say to call your bank right away and report the fraud to local law enforcement so investigators can try to trace any encoded cards.
What Happens Next
Prosecutors will determine whether to file additional charges as investigators examine the encoded cards and equipment recovered in the search.
Officials are urging anyone who shopped at the affected stores or who notices suspicious account activity to contact their bank and local police. The investigation remains active, and the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office says more details could surface as the case moves forward. We have requested additional information from the sheriff's office and will update this story if new information is released.
