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Skimmer alert! | Card skimmer discovered at Dollar General in Berlin

Police are unsure how long the skimmer was in place. Skimmers scan info on a victim’s credit or debit card so cybercriminals can commit fraud.

BERLIN, Conn. — A credit card skimmer was discovered Tuesday at the Dollar General on Farmington Avenue in Berlin, according to a Facebook post from the town's police department.

Police are unsure how long the skimmer was in place.

Credit card skimmers are devices that cybercriminals attach to actual card readers. Cybercriminals use skimmers to scan information on a victim’s debit or credit card so they can commit credit card fraud or create counterfeit cards to sell on the dark web.

RELATED: Hartford man is charged with 3 counts of wire fraud

“If you visited the Dollar General on Farmington Avenue recently and paid by card, please monitor your accounts and let us know if you notice any suspicious activity,” police said in the Facebook post. “A card skimmer was discovered today on one of the checkout terminals and it’s unknown how long it was present for.”

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To recognize a card skimmer, police said one can check for alignment issues between the card reader and the panel underneath it. Skimmers are often placed on top of the actual card reader making it stick out an odd angle or cover arrows in a panel, police said.

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One can also compare the card reader to others at neighboring registers or gas pumps and look out for any differences, according to police. Additionally, a physical inspection of a card reader and keypad can often reveal fraudulent devices, police said.

“Feel around the reader and try to wiggle it to see if it can easily come out of place,” the Facebook post said.

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Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com

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