The U.S. Secret Service and New York Police Department concluded a three-day credit card skimming operation in New York City last month, removing 35 illegal devices from bodegas and small stores and preventing an estimated $36.5 million in potential losses.
Fourteen law enforcement teams visited 1,010 businesses and conducted 3,935 inspections across Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Queens from June 23-25, 2026, according to a Secret Service press release. The operation marked the fourth such coordinated effort in New York City and represented the latest phase of an intensifying nationwide crackdown on a fraud method that costs the financial system over $1 billion annually.
Skimming devices are hidden electronic readers that criminals install on ATMs, gas pumps, and point-of-sale terminals to capture card data and record PIN entries. Scammers use the stolen information to encode fraudulent cards with a magnetic strip, then use those cards to drain accounts. The devices are often disguised as legitimate keypads or overlays, making them difficult for customers and business owners to detect.
The scale of the problem extends well beyond New York. In 2025, law enforcement personnel removed more than 400 illegal skimming devices during nationwide operations, preventing an estimated potential fraud loss of more than $428 million, according to the Secret Service. Prior New York City operations netted 133 skimming devices and prevented nearly $139 million in losses.
Special Agent in Charge Matt McCool of the New York Field Office emphasized the urgency of the crackdown. “New York is a target-rich environment for illegal skimmers,” McCool said in the press release. “The high concentration of bodegas and small stores throughout the city makes it easier for criminals to install these devices.” He added that the FIFA World Cup expected to bring in an extra million visitors to the city this summer made the operation particularly timely.
The operation involved personnel from the Secret Service, NYPD, the New York City Department of Investigation, and the USDA Office of the Inspector General. Teams found 15 devices in Brooklyn, 9 in the Bronx, and 10 in Queens, with an additional skimmer discovered in Manhattan after a targeted inspection request.
Consumers can protect themselves by inspecting card readers before use, looking for anything loose, crooked, damaged, or scratched. The Secret Service recommends using tap-to-pay technology or cards with chip technology when possible, running debit cards as credit at gas stations to avoid entering a PIN, and using ATMs in well-lit indoor locations. Covering the keypad with your hand while entering a PIN can also block pinhole cameras that criminals sometimes install to record entries.
Sources
- United States Secret Service — Official press release on the New York Field Office skimming operation, June 26, 2026, detailing the three-day operation, devices removed, and prevention of $36.5 million in losses
- United States Secret Service — Press release on nationwide 2025 skimming operations, reporting 400+ devices removed and $428 million in prevented losses
- FBI — Definition and explanation of skimming devices and how they operate on ATMs and point-of-sale terminals
