BY ANDREAS YILMA
CITIZENS NEWS
NAUGATUCK — Big Y is investigating after someone installed a card skimming device to a single payment terminal in two of its Connecticut grocery stores.
Big Y officials discovered on June 29 that an unknown individual attached a skimming device to two payment terminals — one in Naugatuck at 85 Bridge St. and the other in Plainville at 275 New Britain Ave., according to a Big Y news release.
“We are actively investigating the circumstances surrounding this incident, and we notified and are working with law enforcement,” the release states. “We have inspected all of our terminals, and continue to do so. If we learn that any particular customer’s information was compromised, we will promptly notify them and provide them with additional information so that they can take steps to protect themselves.”
Big Y Manager of Communications Jade Rivera-McFarlin said the card skimmers were only attached to the payment terminals for a short period of time — less than eight hours.
“We have regular safety protocols,” Rivera-McFarlin said. “We have people checking them constantly.”
Rivera-McFarlin said they are checking their cameras to provide to law enforcement.
Skimming occurs when a person illegally installs devices on or inside ATMs, point-of-sale terminals or fuel pumps to capture card data and record cardholders’ PIN entries, if applicable, according the Federal Bureau of Investigations website.
Criminals use the data to create fake payment cards and then make unauthorized purchases or steal from victims’ accounts. Card skimming is estimated to cost financial institutions and consumers more than $1 billion each year, the FBI website states.
FICO, a leading analytics software company, stated on its website that it saw a significant increase in compromised cards resulting from skimming activity for 2023.
“Total compromised debit cards were up 96% from 2022, with more than 315,000 impacted cards identified. More than 3,500 unique financial institutions were impacted, and we saw a significant increase in bank ATM compromises — up 90% from 2022,” according to a FICO report.
As a best practice, customers should always review their bank and credit card statements for any signs of fraudulent activity and, if they have any questions or concerns, contact their bank or credit card company directly, the Big Y release states.
Big Y customers who have questions or concerns about this matter, can contact the store 1-800-828-2688 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
