U.S. Secret Service EBT Fraud, Card Skimming Outreach in Mobile, Alabama, Prevents Estimated Loss of $3.1 Million

MOBILE, Ala. - The U.S. Secret Service, along with Federal, state and local law enforcement partners concluded a two-day outreach operation on Friday aimed at combatting illegal payment card skimming and Electronic Benefit Transfer fraud.

Law enforcement personnel visited nearly 400 businesses in and around Mobile, Alabama, checking for and removing illegal skimming devices from ATMs, gas pumps and point-of-sale terminals. Ten teams of Secret Service analysts, partnered with local and state agencies, recovered three illegal skimming devices in Chickasaw, Mobile and Spanish Fort during the operation preventing an estimated potential loss to the government of $3.1 million.

They also gave businesses educational materials about Electronic Benefit Transfer fraud and skimming to help them identify the warning signs of illegal skimming devices in their point-of-sale terminals, gas pumps and ATMs.

This outreach operation was conducted by the U.S. Secret Service, along with the Mobile Police Department, Mobile County Sheriff's Office, Baldwin County Sheriff's Office, Alabama Department of Insurance - State Fire Marshal, Fairhope Police Department and the Alabama Department of Human Resources. Personnel from Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Department of Treasury - Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Department of Agriculture - Office of Inspector General also took part in the operation.

"If we can take these skimmers out and we can educate people to check, then we can make a big difference here locally. We can help the people who live here, and we can stop some of the fraud that's happening with these skimmers," said Resident Agent in Charge Jennifer Nissen, of the Mobile Resident Office. "Thank you to all our Federal, state and local partners who helped in this effort. It's a big outreach for us and we really want to push that education and let people know and be aware of what's happening."

This is part of a series of Secret Service-led outreach operations that have taken place across the country since April 2024. In 2025, law enforcement personnel removed more than 400 illegal skimming devices during these operations preventing an estimated potential fraud loss of more than $428 million.

So far this year, the Secret Service has visited 1,800 businesses, inspected 11,783 machines and found 44 skimmers preventing more than $45.8 million in fraudulent losses.

The multi-jurisdictional operation may be used as a model for other areas around the country where EBT fraud and skimming is prevalent.

Criminals often steal EBT and other payment card numbers by installing illegal skimming devices on ATMs, gas pumps and merchant point-of-sale terminals. Scammers use skimming technology to capture card information from EBT cards and encode that data onto another card with a magnetic strip. It is estimated that skimming costs financial institutions and consumers more than $1 billion each year.

Law enforcement agencies have seen a nationwide increase in skimming, particularly targeting EBT cards. EBT fraud targets the nation's most vulnerable communities. Each month, money is deposited into government assistance accounts intended to help families pay for food and other basic items. This enables criminals who steal card information to time their fraudulent withdrawals and purchases around the monthly deposits.

There are several precautions consumers can take to protect themselves:
• Inspect ATMs, point-of-sale terminals and other card readers. Look for anything loose, crooked, damaged, or scratched. Do not use a card reader if anything appears unusual.
• Whenever possible, use tap-to-pay technology or use debit and credit cards with chip technology.
• If using a debit card at a gas station, run it as a credit card to avoid entering a PIN number. If that is not an option, consumers should use their hand to hide their PIN to block scammers who may be using tiny pinhole cameras above the keypad area to record entries. Use ATMs in a well-lit, indoor location, which are less vulnerable targets.
• Be alert for skimming devices in tourist areas, which are popular targets.

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