Share and Follow
WALMART shoppers have been warned about a dangerous device that steals consumer data.
There’s a glaring red flag that Walmart customers should look out for when shopping.
A Romanian man, Florin Doroiman, has been arrested after several card skimming devices were found at multiple Walmart locations, as reported by ABC’s Virginia affiliate, WSET-TV.
Skimming devices are installed in card readers or disguised to look like part of an ATM to scam customers out of their personal information.
They’re often installed in payment terminals to steal customer card details during transactions at stores like Walmart.
Virginia police said they identified a skimmer at the Walmart on Lynchburg Salem Turnpike.
A device was also found at the Walmart on Wards Road in Lynchburg during a routine morning equipment check.
Kisha Burton, a Lynchburg City Schools employee, said she purchased items at the Wards Road Walmart around the time the skimmer was installed.
“I did notice that they were having issues with the self-checkout pieces, and the clerk actually had to come over and assist me scanning my items, and then I checked out,” Burton said.
“Then the news kinda dropped that so I started watching my account just to see.”
In Amherst County, officials said another skimming device was found at the Walmart in Madison Heights.
In that case, police are saying EBT cards may have been compromised.
Consumers who went shopping on February 25 or 26 should take a second look at their bank statements to check for any inconsistencies.
Doroiman was arrested in Richmond, Virginia but faces charges in Central Virginia as well.
He was charged with ten felony counts of credit card theft and a misdemeanor charge, as reported by WSET-TV.
Due to the felony charges, Doroiman could be looking at 20 years behind bars.
What is a skimmer device?
A skimmer device is a fraud tool designed to steal sensitive information from credit or debit cards during transactions.
- Imagine a skimmer device as a sneaky thief that hides on ATMs or card machines.
- Its job is to secretly steal your credit or debit card information when you use it for a transaction.
- These devices are like tiny spies that can copy your card details, including the card number and PIN, without you even realizing it.
- Skimmers can be cleverly disguised to look just like the regular card reader, making them hard to spot.
- Once they have your information, bad guys can use it to make fake cards or buy things without your permission, causing a lot of trouble and stress.
- It’s important to always be cautious and check for anything unusual on card machines before using them to protect yourself from these sneaky devices.
With more of these info-stealing devices popping up, local and state law enforcement agencies have started to seriously investigate.
Lieutenant Greg Jones of the Amherst County Sheriff’s Office suspects that scammers are dropping these devices at certain locations before moving to another town or city.
This makes a ring of crime as scammers install the devices before quickly leaving the area.
“They install the devices and then leave and go on to another location,” said Jones.
“It’s kind of like popping a cover on top of the existing card reader.”
“Pay attention to the card reader that you’re using, see if it’s been tampered with,” he cautioned.
