TIPS: What to look for with skimming devices
After Limerick and Lower Pottsgrove Police launched a joint investigation into card skimming devices found at local grocery stores, police are offering the following tips for card users:
• When using credit cards and debit cards, refrain from using ATMs in insecure locations, which have more potential for being compromised.
• Users should inspect the terminal before using it. If the terminal appears different than other terminals or appears to have been tampered with, refrain from using it.
• Police suggest using a chip reader instead of a magnetic strip wherever possible as this method is less likely to result in a compromised card.
Police are urging residents to contact police if they notice any suspicious activity or ATM locations that appear to have been altered. Limerick Police can be reached at 610-495-7909 and Lower Pottsgrove Police can be reached at 610-326-1508.
Limerick and Lower Pottsgrove Police have launched a joint investigation after two area Aldi Stores were found to have credit card skimming devices in their stores.
The devices, which are used to capture data from a credit or ATM card, were found at Aldi stores in Lower Pottsgrove, 297 Armand Hammer Blvd, and Limerick, 33 W. Ridge Pike, according to police.
Lower Pottsgrove Police said in a press release Thursday that they have been investigating the placement of skimmer devices throughout Lower Pottsgrove for several months and that the placement of the devices has resulted in multiple victims that have had their debit card information compromised and used.
Lower Pottsgrove Police were notified of a skimming device located at Aldi in Lower Pottsgrove on Jan. 30. Police removed the device and an alert was sent to other Aldi stores, police said.
Following the alert, an Aldi store located in Limerick reported finding a similar device, prompting a joint investigation, police said. Police are continuing to investigate the incidents and have been reviewing surveillance footage and working with security teams from the stores.
The departments have found two men who are persons of interest in the case after reviewing surveillance footage from Aldi at 297 Armand Hammer Blvd.
Police said that the suspects have not been identified but are believed to be part of a “criminal enterprise that is operating in the greater Philadelphia area.”
Police are asking that anyone with information on their identities or information on any other possible perpetrators contact them immediately. Additionally, police are asking that individuals report any suspicious activity at other ATMs. Lower Pottsgrove Police can be reached at 610-326-1508 and Limerick Police can be reached at 610-495-7909.