In 2025, the U.S. Secret Service, in collaboration with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, carried out 22 outreach operations targeting Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) fraud and ATM skimming across various cities in the United States. These efforts led to visits at more than 9,000 businesses and the removal of 411 illegal skimming devices. The agency estimates that these actions prevented over $428 million in potential financial losses.
Nearly 60,000 point-of-sale terminals, gas pumps, and ATMs were inspected during these operations. The targeted locations included major cities such as Los Angeles, Washington DC, Anchorage, Boston, Orlando, Charlotte, Buffalo, San Diego, New York City, San Antonio, Baltimore, Tampa, Atlanta, Savannah, Memphis, Miami and Pittsburgh. Some cities saw multiple operations conducted throughout the year.
As part of these initiatives, law enforcement teams distributed educational materials to help businesses recognize illegal skimming devices on their payment terminals.
Kyo Dolan, Assistant Director for the U.S. Secret Service’s Office of Field Operations stated: “The U.S. Secret Service is committed to combatting EBT fraud and credit card skimming throughout the country. These proactive operations are aimed at finding and removing devices before criminals can recover the stolen card numbers they contain. These operations are only the start. We are working closely with our local, state, federal and international law enforcement partners to investigate and dismantle the criminal organizations that perpetrate these crimes.”
Criminals typically install illegal skimming devices on ATMs or merchant terminals to steal EBT or other payment card numbers. This information is then encoded onto another magnetic stripe card for fraudulent use.
Law enforcement has observed a nationwide rise in skimming activities that specifically target EBT cards used by vulnerable communities who rely on government assistance for essential needs like food each month. Criminals often time their thefts around monthly deposits into these accounts.
The Secret Service advises consumers to take precautions such as inspecting card readers for signs of tampering; using tap-to-pay or chip-enabled cards when possible; running debit cards as credit at gas stations; shielding PIN entries from view; choosing well-lit indoor ATMs; and being especially vigilant in tourist areas where skimmers are frequently found.
