U.S. Secret Service — Pittsburgh Field Office Card Skimming Outreach Operation Nets 9 devices, Saves $9.4 Million in Losses

PITTSBURGH - The U.S. Secret Service, along with Federal, state and local law enforcement partners, found nine illegal devices and prevented an estimated $9.4 million in consumer losses during a two-day operation targeting illegal payment card skimming and Electronic Benefit Transfer fraud in the Pittsburgh area.

Law enforcement personnel visited 272 locations in and around Pittsburgh during the operation conducted April 20-21. Investigators examined 883 point-of-sale terminals, 775 gasoline pumps and 170 ATM terminals during the operation.

Teams also handed out educational materials about Electronic Benefit Transfer fraud and credit card skimming to help businesses identify 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 Allegheny County Police Department, the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General, the Pennsylvania Office of State Inspector General and the United States Postal Inspection Service.

"Illegal credit card skimming can have devastating financial ramifications on innocent, law-abiding citizens who are victimized by this insidious fraud. That is why the U.S. Secret Service has devoted significant resources toward combatting this scourge," said Special Agent in Charge Robert Pyle, of the U.S. Secret Service - Pittsburgh Field Office. "I want to commend all of our Federal, state and local partners who helped us in this educational effort to help prevent these losses on the front end - before they occur."

"This collective law enforcement effort is about protecting our community from the unnecessary stress and hardships often caused by these devices," Allegheny County Police Superintendent Christopher Kearns said. "We are grateful to all of our local and Federal partners for taking some of these devices off the street and keeping our neighborhoods informed."

"Card skimming is a growing and insidious crime with the potential for far-reaching impacts on victims. Not only do criminals have the ability to gather personal and financial information once a card is skimmed, but they're also able to use that information to commit more crimes. Pittsburgh Police is grateful to be part of the collaborative law enforcement efforts to find those responsible and hold them accountable," Pittsburgh Police Chief Jason Lando said.

"Law enforcement is well aware that criminals see large-attendance events - like the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh - as opportunities to steal, defraud, and harm people," Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday said. "My office, along with our partners, are doing everything in our powers to protect attendees of Draft festivities. This proactive skimmer-detection initiative kept millions of dollars in the pockets of visitors, while also educating businesses on how to detect skimmers and other fraudulent activity."

This effort mirrors similar Secret Service-led outreach operations that have been done throughout the country.

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. 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.

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.

# # #