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You swipe your card at the checkout, grab your receipt and walk away. Nothing looks unusual. However, a device sitting right on top of that payment terminal may have copied your card information and PIN.
U.S. Secret Service agents recently swept hundreds of retailers across Los Angeles looking for skimmers. What they found shows how sophisticated these devices have become and how difficult they can be to spot.
This card skimming scam is especially serious for people who rely on Electronic Benefit Transfer, or EBT, cards. Many of those cards still depend on magnetic-stripe technology that criminals know how to exploit.
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U.S. Secret Service agents found sophisticated skimmers on payment terminals during a Los Angeles sweep targeting suspected fraud. (U.S. Secret Service)
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One of the most unsettling parts of the investigation is how quickly criminals can install a skimmer. Surveillance video from the investigation captured a suspect placing one over a payment terminal in less than two seconds. From there, the fake reader sits directly over the real terminal. When someone swipes a card, the device can capture account information and the PIN used during the transaction.
We have previously shown you how skimmers and shimmers can steal your payment information. What stands out now is how convincing these newer devices can look. During the Secret Service sweep, agents found a skimmer that blended closely into the legitimate payment terminal. It even had what appeared to be a security hologram.
Agents had to pry the device off. Inside, they found miniature electronics and a wireless transmitter. That transmitter can send stolen information to a criminal nearby. The person who installed the skimmer may not have to return and remove it to collect the data.
The numbers behind this crime are staggering. The Secret Service says a single skimmer can generate as much as $1 million in stolen funds.
Across the country, 32 active federal investigations span 15 states. Meanwhile, the Secret Service estimates that skimming costs consumers and financial institutions more than $1 billion each year.
The agency has also stepped up its nationwide enforcement efforts. During 2025 operations, law enforcement removed more than 400 illegal skimming devices. The Secret Service says skimming activity has increasingly targeted EBT cards.