Skimming Device Located At Convenience Store In Prince William County

MANASSAS, VA — A skimming device was found in a business in the Manassas area on Tuesday, according to Prince William County Police.

Police learned about the skimming device inside the 7-Eleven convenience store at 12125 Dumfries Road, Manassas, VA on Tuesday. Police do not know how long the device was in place at the business. Anyone who made a purchase at the store recently are encouraged to check for suspicious transactions.

The report comes after Prince William County were notified on June 11 of a skimming device inside another 7-Eleven at 16170 Country Club Drive, Dumfries, VA.

According to the FBI, skimming devices are illegally installed inside ATMs, point-of-sale terminals or gas pumps. The devices capture victims' card data and PIN entries through a pinhole camera. Fake payment cards may be created as a result of the scheme, leading to unauthorized charges to victims' accounts. Electronic Benefits Transfer cards are also common targets of card skimming suspects.

Skimming devices on gas pumps are usually installed in the internal wiring of the machine and aren’t visible to victims. ATM skimming devices are typically inside the card reader.

The FBI recommends the following tips to protect yourself against skimming devices:

• Inspect ATMs, POS terminals, and other card readers before using. Look for anything loose, crooked, damaged, or scratched. Don't use any card reader if you notice anything unusual.
• Pull at the edges of the keypad before entering your PIN. Then, cover the keypad as fully as possible when you enter your PIN to prevent cameras from recording your entry. A pinhole camera may be present anywhere on or around the terminal.
• If possible, use ATMs in a well-lit, indoor location., These may still be compromised, but are less-vulnerable targets.
• Be especially alert for skimming devices in tourist areas, since these are popular targets.
• When possible, use debit and credit cards with chip technology. There are fewer devices in the U.S. that steal chip data than magnetic strip data. However, the mag-stripe data on the backs of these cards is still vulnerable.
• Avoid using your debit card when you have linked accounts, as criminals could gain access to all accounts. Use a credit card instead.
• Routinely monitor your credit card, bank, and EBT or other benefits accounts to promptly identify any unauthorized transactions. If possible, set email or text-message alerts to notify you of card or account transactions.
• Proactively review the account-security options available for any payment cards you use, such as multi-factor authentication of transactions or freezing an account between your own transactions.
• Contact your financial institution immediately if the ATM doesn't return your card after you end or cancel a transaction. This may suggest the presence of a foreign device in the card reader.
• If you receive a call, text, or email asking for card information, you should contact the relevant state benefits agency to verify the authenticity of the message(s), and/or verify the status of the EBT account and current funds using a known balance inquiry line or website, or the relevant mobile application.
• If you receive a call, text message, or email asking for your PIN, never provide it. State benefits agencies won't request cardholder PINs. They'll use other means to authenticate your account.
• Always use a strong PIN. Avoid using PINs that may be easily guessed, such as strings of the same or consecutive numbers.
• If you suspect your EBT card was compromised in this type of scam, immediately contact your state benefits agency or card issuer. Promptly change your PIN if any funds remain in your EBT account.
• Look into whether your account or EBT mobile application will allow you to temporarily block or freeze transactions on the account.

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