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Card skimmer found in Cambridge near Central Square
Police issued a warning after the skimmer was found. Similar devices have been found at stores throughout Massachusetts this year.
Police in Cambridge are urging the public to be careful after finding a card skimming device at a retail business near Central Square.
At about 5:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Cambridge police officers responded to a business on the 700 block of Massachusetts Avenue. A card skimmer was found on a payment terminal and confiscated. Officials do not know when the device was installed. They did not specify which business the skimmer was found at.
Skimmers are used to covertly steal personal information from people using card readers at stores, ATMs, and gas stations.
“If you have recently conducted business in that area, please be aware that your credit or debit card information may have been compromised. You are advised to closely monitor your credit card and bank statements for any unauthorized transactions and immediately report any suspicious activity to your credit card company or bank,” a Cambridge police spokesperson said in a statement to the public.
Skimmers are meant to be difficult to spot. They are typically installed on the outside of a pay terminal and designed to blend in.
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In the spring, Roche Bros. said that skimmers were found at nine of the grocery store chain’s locations in Massachusetts. Skimmers were also found at grocery stores operated by Roche Bros. in 2023. In July of this year, six Europeans were charged for installing skimmers at dozens of retail locations and ATMs in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and four other states.
Police offered the following tips for avoiding skimmers:
- Before using any card-reading machine, quickly look it over for signs of tampering or discrepancies between it and other nearby devices. For example, one machine may have a light flashing where cards should be inserted, and another may not.
- Check the keypad to see if any of the numbers are hard to press or feel overly thick. Some skimmers, like the one recovered in Cambridge, have false keypads.
- If prompted to enter a PIN, cover the keypad with another hand. Some skimmers have small cameras meant to record people entering their information.
- Prioritize using machines in public view with security cameras nearby, as these are less likely to have been tampered with.
- Pay inside at gas stations where machines appear suspicious.
- Check bank accounts regularly for suspicious activity.
Anyone with any information related to this incident is encouraged to call the Cambridge Police Department at 617-349-3300. Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling 617-349-9151 or at www.CambridgePolice.org/tips.
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