COLUMBUS – Central Ohio is becoming a prime target for credit card skimmers, the Columbus Dispatch reports. 

“Central Ohio is a hotbed for it,” said Westerville Police Lt. Paul Scowden, whose team is investigating identity theft and credit-card fraud.

Last week, Westerville police and the Secret Service arrested six people accused of being part of a skimming ring. That follows a July arrest where five others were charged on similar counts. 

In March, detectives caught a Wendy’s restaurant cashier using a skimmer, whose husband was passing the numbers to another party.

“It’s one of the top crimes we deal with as far as the Secret Service goes,” said Jon Schuck, the agent in charge of the Secret Service office in Columbus. “The way to stem the flow is by making arrests and making it public.” 

He did not provide an estimate of the number of people who have been skimming victims in central Ohio, though he pegged the losses at hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The problem “is not going to go away until we change something with our credit cards,” such as requiring fingerprint or eye scanning to identify card users, Scowden said. 

NACS Anti-Skimming Solution

The WeCare decal is a tamper-evident label that can help retailers identify potential security breaches if skimming devices are inserted at fuel dispensers or other unattended PIN-entry devices. The labels can also help retailers address some of the PCI compliance mandates that are now required.

The security labels are to be used on fuel dispensers near the credit/debit card transaction area. If the label is lifted to insert a skimming device, a "void" message appears on the label, providing a visual alert to store employees so that additional action can be taken. Because the labels clearly indicate that they are to prevent tampering, the labels help assure customers that their data is secure, and discourage criminals targeting the store.

Protect your business and your customers — order the WeCare decals for your stores today.