2026-08-12 07:38:34 美国东部夏令时 / 哥伦比亚广播公司（CBS）新闻
作者
卡特·埃文斯 特约通讯员
卡特·埃文斯自2013年2月起担任哥伦比亚广播公司新闻驻洛杉矶通讯员，为该电视台所有平台供稿。他加入哥伦比亚广播公司新闻时已拥有近20年新闻从业经验，曾报道多起重大国内及国际新闻事件。
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克里斯蒂安·杜兰，
克里·布林 新闻编辑
克里·布林是CBSNews.com的新闻编辑。她毕业于纽约大学亚瑟·L·卡特新闻学院，此前曾在NBC新闻的《今日数字》栏目工作。她负责报道时事、突发新闻以及包括物质滥用在内的相关议题。
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许多美国人可能曾遭遇过掠夺性骗局，却浑然不觉。
美国特勤局表示，用于窃取银行卡和政府福利卡账户信息及个人识别码的盗刷设备使用量正持续上升。这类设备可在数秒内安装在借记卡和信用卡读卡器上。
哥伦比亚广播公司新闻随同负责金融犯罪调查及总统安保工作的特勤局，一同跟随探员在洛杉矶数百家零售商中搜查盗刷设备。
一旦设备安装在刷卡终端或ATM机上，每次刷卡时都会收集数据。通常，藏在盗刷器内的无线发射器会将数据发送给诈骗者。特勤局分析师文斯·波特向哥伦比亚广播公司新闻透露，官员们认为单台盗刷设备可窃取高达100万美元的资金。
这类设备难以识别，更难拆除——在某些情况下，执法人员只能强行撬下盗刷器，还会留下残留痕迹。波特表示，无法得知设备已经被使用了多久。
仅在2025年，特勤局就拆除了超过400台非法盗刷设备，但该机构表示，这仅占现存设备的一小部分。哥伦比亚广播公司新闻的调查发现，全美15个州共有32起相关联邦调查正在进行中。
该机构及执法伙伴注意到，过去两年里盗刷活动有所增加。随着这类犯罪愈发普遍，损失也在不断攀升。据特勤局估算，盗刷每年给金融机构和消费者造成的损失超过10亿美元。
特勤局刑事调查部门负责人迈克尔·佩克特别探员表示，这类骗局的幕后主使是来自海外的有组织犯罪团伙。
佩克称，这些团伙从东欧、亚洲以及中南美洲进入美国，其中许多人通过美墨边境入境。他向哥伦比亚广播公司新闻透露，有一名嫌疑人在乘水上摩托从加拿大入境后被逮捕。
“一站式犯罪”
犯罪分子常常瞄准接受EBT卡（用于发放政府福利金）的商店。单张政府救助卡每月可从联邦和州级项目中获得数千美元的纳税人资金，包括食品券和第8条住房补贴。
许多政府救助卡只能刷卡使用，缺乏免接触支付或芯片支付的额外安全保障。波特表示，当商店宣传可接受这类福利资金时，就会成为目标。
“这就是一站式犯罪，”他说道。
受害者通常几乎没有追索权。福利金被盗后，几乎不可能追回，因为涉及发放资金的机构数量众多。
玛丽·鲍恩是六个孩子的母亲，依靠救助金生活。她表示，由于上周福利金被盗，她无法支付房租或购买食品。
“钱凭空消失了。我身上连现金都没有，”鲍恩说道。“我只能靠朋友们接济食物，因为他们把我的钱全偷走了。他们把我的一切都拿走了。”
作为此次行动的一部分，执法人员走访了加州的328家商户，检查了1749台设备。他们共查获16台盗刷器，据特勤局估算，避免了约1660万美元的欺诈损失。全美数十座城市都开展过类似行动。
诈骗团伙最有可能在洛杉矶等大城市布设设备。但即便在小城镇，盗刷器也可能构成威胁。
佩克表示，为保障自身安全，应尽量避免刷卡支付。政府救助卡通常只能刷卡使用，这使其处于不利地位。但对于有其他选择的消费者来说，使用免接触支付是“保护自己的最佳方式”。
This card-skimming scam has stolen millions. Here’s how the Secret Service is cracking down.
2026-08-12 07:38:34 EDT / CBS News
By
Carter Evans Correspondent
Carter Evans has served as a Los Angeles-based correspondent for CBS News since February 2013, reporting across all of the network’s platforms. He joined CBS News with nearly 20 years of journalism experience, covering major national and international stories.
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Christian Duran,
Kerry Breen News Editor
Kerry Breen is a news editor at CBSNews.com. A graduate of New York University’s Arthur L. Carter School of Journalism, she previously worked at NBC News’ TODAY Digital. She covers current events, breaking news and issues including substance use.
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Many Americans may have encountered a predatory scam — and may not even know it.
The U.S. Secret Service says the use of skimming devices, which capture account details and personal identification numbers from bank and government benefits cards, is on the rise. The devices can be set up in seconds on debit and credit card readers.
CBS News joined the Secret Service, which investigates financial crimes as well as protecting the president, for a ride-along while agents searched for skimmers at hundreds of retailers across Los Angeles.
Once the device is in place on a card terminal or ATM, it collects data every time a card is swiped. Often, a wireless transmitter hidden inside the skimmer sends the data to the scammer. Secret Service analyst Vince Porter told CBS News that officials believe a single skimmer can net up to $1 million in stolen funds.
The devices are tough to recognize and harder to remove — in some cases, law enforcement has to pry the skimmer off, leaving residue behind. There’s no way to know how long a device has been in use, Porter said.
In 2025 alone, the Secret Service removed more than 400 illegal skimming devices, which the agency said accounts for just a fraction of the devices out there. A CBS News investigation has found 32 active federal probes spanning 15 states.
The agency and law enforcement partners have noticed an increase in skimming activity in the past two years. As the crime becomes more common, the losses increase. Skimming costs financial institutions and consumers more than $1 billion each year, according to Secret Service estimates.
Special agent Michael Peck, the leader of the Secret Service’s criminal investigative division, said that groups of organized criminals from outside the country are responsible for the scam.
The groups enter the U.S. from Eastern Europe, Asia and Central and South America, Peck said, with many crossing the U.S.-Mexico border to enter the country. One subject was apprehended after traveling down from Canada on a Jet Ski, Peck told CBS News.
“A one-stop crime”
Criminals often target stores that take EBT cards, which hold government benefit money. A single government assistance card can receive thousands of taxpayer dollars from federal and state programs, including food stamps and Section 8 housing payments, each month.
Many government assistance cards have to be swiped, leaving them without the added security of tap-and-pay or a chip. When stores advertise acceptance of these funds, they can become a target, Porter said.
“It’s a one-stop crime,” he said.
Victims often have little recourse. Once the benefits are stolen, they can be nearly impossible to recover because of the number of agencies involved in distributing the funds.
Mary Bowen, a mother of six who relies on assistance, said she can’t pay her rent or buy groceries because her benefits were stolen last week.
“It just disappeared. I don’t even have cash in here,” Bowen said. “Literally, I’ve been getting food from my friends because they took everything. They took it all from me.”
As part of this operation, law enforcement visited 328 businesses and inspected 1,749 devices in California. They seized 16 skimmers, preventing an estimated $16.6 million in fraud loss, according to the Secret Service. Similar operations have been carried out in dozens of U.S. cities.
Scams are most likely to be found in major cities like Los Angeles. But even in small towns, skimmers can pose a threat.
To stay safe, avoid swiping as much as possible, Peck said. Government benefit cards usually need to be swiped, putting them at a disadvantage. But for those who have the option, using tap-and-pay is “the best way to protect yourself as a consumer,” Peck said.
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