Secret Service Raids Find Card Skimmers Stealing Bank And Benefit Funds
The U.S. Secret Service said it has intensified nationwide raids and inspections, uncovering card skimmers that siphoned funds from bank accounts and government benefit cards.[1]
Agents inspected 1,749 payment devices at 328 California businesses during a Los Angeles-area sweep and seized 16 skimmers.[1] Officials estimated those 16 skimmers had been poised to steal about $16.6 million in fraud losses.[1]
In 2025, the Secret Service removed more than 400 illegal card-skimming devices nationwide.[1] Agency estimates put annual losses from skimming at more than $1 billion, and they say a single skimmer can net as much as $1 million.[1] Investigators link many skimming operations to organized crime groups from Eastern Europe, Asia and the Americas, which often target stores that accept EBT benefit cards.[1] The Secret Service says it will continue sweeps and work with retailers and banks to stop the schemes.[1]
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📌 Key Facts
- In 2025 the Secret Service removed more than 400 illegal card-skimming devices nationwide.
- In a recent Los Angeles–area sweep, agents inspected 1,749 devices at 328 California businesses and seized 16 skimmers.
- The Secret Service estimates skimming now causes more than $1 billion in annual losses and that a single skimmer can net up to $1 million.
- The California operation’s 16 seized skimmers were estimated to have prevented $16.6 million in fraud losses.
- Officials say organized criminal groups from Eastern Europe, Asia, Central and South America are behind many of the skimming operations, often targeting stores that accept EBT benefit cards.
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