A MOM has claimed she her bank account drained after she visited a local grocery store.
Denae Carr from Washington DC said she was left visiting food banks and borrowing money from relatives more than $300 was stolen from her.
She noticed something was wrong after checking her banking app and seeing a withdrawal of $360 made at 6:49 am on March 15, Carr told NBC News affiliate WRC-TV.
Carr claims that she was asleep at this time and believes that her account was wiped after scammers stole the details of her EBT card.
The mother says she last used her card at a Giant grocery store in the Brentwood neighborhood of the nation’s capital where she believes she was the victim of a skimmer device.
These are card readers fitted to payment machines that clone bank details and PINs that scammers collect to gain access to bank accounts.
“I was really dependent on it,” Carr said of the stolen money.
“I have a two-year-old that needs to eat that needs clothes everything.”
She was left reliant on food banks and kind relatives after the DC Department of Human Services said it would take between 12 and 30 business days to investigate, Carr told the news outlet.
The desperate mother asked the DHS what she could do in the meantime.
“They said food banks and that’s about it,” she recalled.
“There is nothing else they can do for me and it’s just really stressful.
“So, now I have to call family members to just borrow $20 here and there.”
The mother has urged officials to do more to help victims of such scams immediately after their money has vanished.
“They need to take it more seriously,” she said after data from the US Department of Agriculture stated that other states like Maryland refund money much quicker than DC.
“They should do a reimbursement for people that’s going through it, just in times like this, because sometimes people don’t have family or friends to depend on or look out for,” she added.
After the incident in March, Giant told the news outlet that no reports had been received regarding the supposed skimmer device but that they would investigate Carr’s claim.
Meanwhile, northwest DC is struggling with recurring skimmer device scams.
What is a skimmer device?
A skimmer device is a fraud tool designed to steal sensitive information from credit or debit cards during transactions.
- Imagine a skimmer device as a sneaky thief that hides on ATMs or card machines.
- Its job is to secretly steal your credit or debit card information when you use it for a transaction.
- These devices are like tiny spies that can copy your card details, including the card number and PIN, without you even realizing it.
- Skimmers can be cleverly disguised to look just like the regular card reader, making them hard to spot.
- Once they have your information, bad guys can use it to make fake cards or buy things without your permission, causing a lot of trouble and stress.
- It’s important to always be cautious and check for anything unusual on card machines before using them to protect yourself from these sneaky devices.
A 7-Eleven store has been targeted at least three times in just over a month by fraudsters after employees found and removed another skimmer machine from an in-store ATM earlier this week.
The Metropolitan Police Department believes the device was connected to those found at other stores in the area.
These include Safeway, Wawa, and Harris Teeter.
Cops have issued key advice to shoppers and ATM users.
The following advice has been issued to shoppers and ATM users regarding skimmer devices:
- Does the keypad or card reader move when touched? If so, do not use it.
- If possible, compare your machine with the one next to it.
- Check the alignment of the card reader and panel below
- Look inside the card reader before inserting your card.
- Shield your PIN information.
- Call 911 if you suspect a skimmer has been fitted.
- Immediately contact your bank if you believe you have been a victim of such a device.
The U.S. Sun has reached out to Giant, Carr, and the Metropolitan Police Department for an update.
