Manchester police are asking anyone who shopped at the Walmart on Gold Street to check their bank accounts after a skimming device was found on one of the store’s registers.Police said they believe surveillance video captured images of a man who might have been responsible for planting the device, which was found two days ago.”The loss prevention officer employee was just checking some of the checkout lines, something that they do on a regular basis, and he noticed the skimmer when doing this,” said Heather Hamel, spokeswoman for the Manchester Police Department.The employee then checked surveillance tapes at the store and believes that man placed the device on the register on March 16.”That’s a long period of time, the 16th through the 23rd, so anybody that may have been at that register could have been a victim,” Hamel said.Police are urging anyone who shopped at the Walmart during that time period to check their statements and bank accounts for fraudulent activity. They said skimming devices have become very sophisticated and aren’t easy to spot, but there is one step people can take to try to keep from becoming a victim.”It’s a good idea to shop with a credit card as opposed to a debit card, because you’re more vulnerable with a debit card,” Hamel said. “As soon as that information is collected, the thief can be pulling money out of your account.”Police said there’s no way to tell how many accounts might have been compromised or how much money might have been stolen. Anyone who recognizes the man in the image or who believes they might be a victim should call Manchester police at 603-668-8711.
Manchester police are asking anyone who shopped at the Walmart on Gold Street to check their bank accounts after a skimming device was found on one of the store’s registers.
Police said they believe surveillance video captured images of a man who might have been responsible for planting the device, which was found two days ago.
“The loss prevention officer employee was just checking some of the checkout lines, something that they do on a regular basis, and he noticed the skimmer when doing this,” said Heather Hamel, spokeswoman for the Manchester Police Department.
The employee then checked surveillance tapes at the store and believes that man placed the device on the register on March 16.
“That’s a long period of time, the 16th through the 23rd, so anybody that may have been at that register could have been a victim,” Hamel said.
Police are urging anyone who shopped at the Walmart during that time period to check their statements and bank accounts for fraudulent activity. They said skimming devices have become very sophisticated and aren’t easy to spot, but there is one step people can take to try to keep from becoming a victim.
“It’s a good idea to shop with a credit card as opposed to a debit card, because you’re more vulnerable with a debit card,” Hamel said. “As soon as that information is collected, the thief can be pulling money out of your account.”
Police said there’s no way to tell how many accounts might have been compromised or how much money might have been stolen. Anyone who recognizes the man in the image or who believes they might be a victim should call Manchester police at 603-668-8711.