Federal and local agents say they quietly headed off a multimillion-dollar crime spree last Monday, yanking five hidden card-skimming devices during a Northern California outreach sweep targeting EBT and payment-card fraud.
The operation stretched across communities in Sacramento County and Napa County, where teams checked thousands of point-of-sale terminals and fuel pumps. Officials said the devices, pulled from convenience stores and gas stations, represented a potential loss of more than $5 million.
Law enforcement's outreach sweep
As reported by FOX40, the U.S. Secret Service’s Northern California team teamed up with the Napa County Sheriff’s Office and inspector general units from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services.
All told, the joint effort hit roughly 510 businesses and inspected more than 3,000 point-of-sale terminals, gas pumps and ATMs in a single day. Along the way, agents handed out educational materials to merchants that focused on preventing EBT fraud and card skimming, officials said.
Officials' message and what was found
In a press release cited by the U.S. Secret Service, agency spokesperson Ryan Cole said the sweep’s goal was to “find and remove skimming devices before card numbers can fall into the hands of criminals.”
According to that release, all five devices were recovered at a mix of convenience stores and gas stations in Sacramento County. Officials said those skimmers alone could have enabled more than $5 million in fraudulent transactions if they had not been discovered.
Why EBT-targeted skimming matters
Skimming schemes often zero in on Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards because thieves can time withdrawals around regular benefit deposit cycles. That puts low-income families at particular risk when their accounts are drained before they can use the funds.
The FBI estimates skimming costs consumers and financial institutions more than $1 billion each year, and the U.S. Secret Service has conducted similar outreach operations in other regions that officials say have prevented multimillion-dollar losses.
How residents and businesses can protect themselves
Officials advise consumers to check card readers for loose or damaged parts, cover the keypad when entering PINs, and choose to run debit transactions as credit when possible to limit direct access to bank accounts.
Merchants received specific tips and printed materials during the sweep. They are urged to inspect terminals regularly, contact their payment processors if they spot possible tampering, and report suspicious activity to local law enforcement.
What’s next
Authorities say the outreach push is ongoing and are asking anyone with surveillance video or information about suspicious terminal activity to contact local police.
No arrests were announced in the initial release. Officials stressed that the priority is getting devices off machines and educating merchants so that fraud is stopped before criminals can harvest card data.
