BEWARE: Credit Card Skimmers Found At This MA. Grocery Chain

This has been an ongoing issue for a long time now. Especially if you're a frequent credit/debit card shopper.

Knock on wood, I haven't had this issue when shopping locally. Online shopping on the other hand I have had fraud on my account where I had to lock my card and get a new one from my local bank. Before we get to what store these skimmers were found at, let's talk credit card skimmers in general first.

What is Credit Card Skimming?

Credit card skimmers are found on legit card readers but a lot of times go unnoticed until someone falls victim of fraud. Then what happens is a masquerade that looks like a ligament keypad is planted over the real keypad so a thief can collect data from that cardholder and steal their bank information including their money.

The best way to detect a skimmer is wiggle the device first before you insert your card to make a purchase.

What grocery store reported skimmers at their locations?

It's crazy but true according to WCVB5Boston, credit card skimmers were installed at 11 Big Y Supermarket locations with 10 dating as far back before Christmas.

Below is a list of locations where these skimmers were found:

• The Springfield location on St. James Avenue
• The Springfield location on Cooley Street
• The Chicopee express location on Granby Road
• The Northampton location off Route 5
• The Ware location on West Street
• The Southbridge location on East Main Street
• The Worcester location on Mayfield Street
• The Milford location on Medway Road
• The Wilbraham express location on Boston Road
• The Ludlow location on Center Street

The Westfield location on East Silver Street was the recent store to make the list of credit card skimmers found.

"We are actively investigating the circumstances surrounding this incident, and we notified and are working with law enforcement. 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." - Statement from Big Y

Big Y is also encouraging their customers if they shopped at these locations the last few months to check their bank statement for any suspicious activity. Questions or concerns can be made by calling Big Y at 1-800-828-2688 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.