19 northeast Walmart stores hit with credit card skimming devices. Here's how you can protect yourself
HUDSON - Federal investigators have charged a man with using skimming devices to steal credit card information from 19 Walmart stores in New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine.
According to a criminal complaint filed in western New York, Romario Serban used the devices to steal the valuable data from thousands of customers in less than a week, from July 2 to July 8, 2023.
Walmart told federal investigators information from more than 27,000 credit cards and 2,000 EBT cards were stolen in the spree.
"In most cases, the skimming devices were not discovered until a few days after they were installed," an FBI agent wrote in the complaint.
Fifteen of the 19 Walmart stores were in upstate New York. Prosecutors said Serban installed skimming devices at a store in Hudson, Massachusetts and another in Seabrook, New Hampshire on July 4. He allegedly came back to both stores two days later to download the stolen information.
How skimming devices work
Investigators said Serban used skimmers installed on top of credit card terminals. The fakes are designed to look like a normal machine, but with additional electronics to capture data. Serban would then allegedly use a magnetic key fob to activate a switch inside the skimmer, sending him stored data through Bluetooth, allowing him to collect victims' information. The whole crime took only seconds.
Experts say once someone has your stolen account information, they can clone it on a different gift card or prepaid debit card or sell the data on the dark web. When an EBT card is cloned, thieves can use them to buy food in bulk and re-sell it for cash.
How to protect yourself
"If you do notice one terminal looks different on the checkout aisles, that can be a red flag," cybersecurity expert Peter Tran told WBZ-TV. He's warning shoppers that suspects tend to target big box stores for their crowds and out of date technology that can't prevent fraud.
"So they're certainly going to go where there's more chaos in shopping, they can hide in plain sight," said Tran.
To protect yourself, Tran recommends changing your debit card PIN and passwords, activating two-step authentication and adding fraud alerts to your accounts. Also, always be aware of who and what's around you.
Serban's vehicle was searched and investigators said they found evidence linking him to the crimes including iPads, iPhones, skimming technology and a handwritten list of Walmart stores.
He was arrested in North Carolina and now faces several charges, including wire fraud and trafficking in and use of unauthorized access devices.
WBZ reached out to Walmart to ask if they have any kind of safety protocols in place to prevent these crimes but did not immediately hear back.
