Weis Markets finds ‘skimmers’ at pair of stores

Weis Markets reported a potential data security incident involving two stores.

Sunbury, Pennsylvania-based said Friday that it discovered “skimmer” devices in checkout lanes at stores in Baltimore (1080 Maiden Choice La.) and Dundalk (7848 Wise Ave.), Maryland. According to the Mid-Atlantic grocer, the devices are capable of capturing data from customer credit/debit cards, including PIN data.

Upon finding the skimmers on Nov. 1, Weis said it “promptly began an internal investigation,” as well as notified law enforcement and its payment processor.

The company noted that its investigation thus far has found no evidence that the “unknown third party” placing the skimmers collected any customer card information.

“Out of an abundance of caution, Weis Markets conducted a comprehensive review of the two checkout lanes where the skimmers were located and, on Nov. 17, 2023, Weis Markets determined that certain individuals’ credit/debit card numbers with and without PINs related to certain transactions from Oct. 25, 2023, to Nov. 1, 2023, may have been accessed by the unknown third party,” the retailer stated.

Weis Markets recommended that, “as a precautionary measure,” anyone who may have been affected “should remain vigilant to protect against potential fraud and/or identity theft” by taking measures such as reviewing account statements, monitoring credit reports and notifying financial institutions of any unusual activity, as well as “promptly report” any fraudulent activity or suspected ID theft to law enforcement. Those potentially impacted have been notified.

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Skimming devices remain a persistent security threat to grocers and retailers of all kinds, especially with the increased use of self-checkout stations. The shift from magnetic-stripe to chip-based credit and debit cards hasn’t eliminated skimmers, as “shimmers”—thin devices typically positioned between the chip and the chip reader—have since emerged to try to capture data from a card’s chip.

Overall, Weis Markets operates 197 supermarkets in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Virginia and West Virginia.