The U.S. Secret Service announced on May 4 that it led an outreach operation in Sacramento and Napa Counties, California, focused on combating Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) fraud and payment card skimming from April 27 to April 29.
The operation is significant because illegal card skimming can lead to substantial financial losses for consumers and financial institutions, as well as undermine assistance programs meant for vulnerable populations.
During the effort, law enforcement personnel visited 510 businesses and removed five illegal skimming devices, preventing an estimated potential loss of more than $5.2 million. More than 3,000 point-of-sale terminals, gas pumps, and ATMs were inspected. Teams also distributed educational materials to help businesses identify warning signs of skimming devices.
Ryan Cole, Resident Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Sacramento Resident Office said: “Illegal card skimming has direct impacts on members of our community and the U.S. Secret Service is committed to working alongside our law enforcement partners to combat this fraud. The goal of this operation was to find and remove skimming devices before card numbers can fall into the hands of criminals. I’m thankful for our partners for their participation in this operation.”
Shawn Dionida, Special Agent in Charge at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General added: “The U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General is dedicated to upholding the integrity of the EBT card system that is meant to assist needy American families who qualify for benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Such outreach operations are important to help prevent fraudsters from using technology and complicated networks to defraud SNAP... We will continue to work diligently with our partner agencies to help businesses identify potential fraud and ensure EBT cards are used only by those who qualify for and rely on these benefits to survive.”
Robb R. Breeden, Special Agent in Charge at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General said: “When card-skimming schemes prey on TANF recipients, they do more than defraud taxpayers— they rob stability from households that depend on these benefits... we want skimmers to know: if you exploit vulnerable families, we will find you and we will stop you.”
This initiative follows similar operations across the country led by the Secret Service; in 2025 alone more than 400 illegal skimming devices were removed nationwide during such efforts with a prevented potential fraud loss exceeding $428 million.
Criminals often use illegal devices installed at ATMs or merchant terminals to steal payment data which can then be encoded onto other cards with magnetic strips; overall losses due to such schemes are estimated at over $1 billion each year.
Officials recommend consumers inspect payment terminals before use; opt for tap-to-pay or chip-enabled cards when possible; cover keypads when entering PINs; use indoor ATMs; and remain vigilant especially in tourist areas.
