Overview
- The Secret Service led a two-day sweep in Harris County this week that inspected more than 3,100 card readers at 372 businesses.
- Agents removed 14 illegal skimming devices and estimate the action prevented about $14.5 million in fraudulent charges.
- The effort was scheduled ahead of the World Cup to shield international visitors and local residents from payment card theft.
- Homeland Security Investigations, the Houston Police Department, the Santa Fe Police Department, the Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center, and the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation joined the operation.
- Officials said criminals often target locations with heavy EBT use and urged consumers to look for tampered readers, use tap-to-pay or chip, and run debit as credit at gas pumps.