Police Investigate Skimming Device at Brighton Convenience Store

Teh incident remains under investigation and “serves as a reminder of the methods criminals use too obtain financial information from unsuspecting victims,” police said.

Investigators urge anyone with information about the skimming device at the convenience store in Brighton to contact detectives at (617) 343-4256.

Skimming devices use technology to essentially clone debit, credit, and EBT card information onto fraudulent cards when thay are illegally installed where a customer swipes, taps, or scans a card to finalize a purchase.

Skimming devices can be concealed at ATMs, gas pumps, cash registers, and other point of sale terminals at high traffic locations. Sometimes, pinhole cameras are used to record PIN entries.

There are several precautions consumers can take.

Skimmers can be hard to detect because they are designed to look like the rest of the machine. Watch for card readers that seem loosely attached, crooked, damaged, scratched, or wiggle when you move them.

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. Always shield your PIN when entering it to prevent hidden cameras from recording your information.

At gas pumps, where skimmers can be concealed inside the machine, look for security tape placed