Multiple local law enforcement agencies were involved in a metro-Atlanta and Columbus card skimming operation headed by the U.S. Secret Service.
According to the Secret Service, personnel visited nearly 550 businesses in metro-Atlanta and Columbus and conducted nearly 3,500 inspections on Aug. 7 and 8.
They were checking for illegal skimming devices from ATMs, gas pumps, and point-of-sale terminals.
41 skimming devices were found during the operation, which officials say prevented a potential $43.7-million loss.
Local law enforcement agencies that assisted were the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO), the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO), and University of North Georgia (UNG) Public Safety.
AccessWDUN got a chance to speak to UNG Detective Rob Cherveny, who was a part of the operation.
"[The U.S. Secret Service] typically supports us through intelligence and technical resources and training, and we try to give back wherever we can," Cherveny said. "In this case, they asked for volunteers to assist with a skimmer operation that covered Atlanta and Columbus."
Cherveny said 17 different agencies assisted the Secret Service, who partnered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the operation.
"They had three and four man teams that went out ... when we went in, we were looking for skimmer devices, obviously, but they also took along literature with them to help educate the shop owners on what they can do to prevent the potential of having skimmer devices installed in their stores," Cherveny said.
Card skimmers are used to steal Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT), credit, debit, and other card information. It is estimated that skimming costs financial institutions and consumers more than $1-billion each year.
The Secret Service recommends consumers inspect anywhere their cards can be read. Specifically, look for anything loose, crooked, damaged, or scratched.
Whenever possible, use tap-to-pay. If using a debit card at a gas station, run it as credit to avoid entering your PIN number. They also said tourist areas are popular targets and to use ATMs in a well-lit, indoor location.
"Be aware of where you're using your credit cards, and if something doesn't feel right, it's probably not," Cherveny said.
2023 data from Upgraded Points showed that out of all large metros, Atlanta was second in credit card fraud reports per capita, with only Miami-Fort Lauderdale above it.
Fittingly, Georgia was also second place behind Florida in the same metric out of all 50 states.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2025/8/1298215/local-law-enforcement-agencies-assist-the-secret-service-in-card-skimmer-search-across-metro-atlanta