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St. Petersburg, Florida – 10 News has been warning customers for years about skimming devices attached to bank ATMs and gas station pumps. But we are now learning about a potential issue with stamp kiosks located at postal offices across the country.
The issue was first reported by the website, krebsonsecurity.com, the very same online blog that broke the story about the Target security breach which affected countless customers.
Crooks are apparently connecting skimming devices to self-service stamp kiosks and stealing customer information.
10 News reached out to the U.S. Postal Service to get details about the skimmer issue.
“Due to the fact that this is an ongoing investigation, we are not able to provide details at this time. However, we would like to provide prevention tips for consumers who use point of sale machines every day,” read a statement from spokesperson Lori McCallister with the Postal Inspector’s Office.
We pushed to get more details, such as which states were affected by this breach, but the organization would not reveal information.
The website krebsonsecurity.com reports that “Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.”
From the Postal Inspector:
- USPS employees visually inspect the point of sale machines multiple times during the day.
- USPIS recommends customers who use the point of sale machine personally visually inspect the machine prior to use.
- Look for any type of plastic piece that looks like it has been added to the credit card reader.
- Look for any other type of marking on the machine that looks as though it has been applied by a third-party.
- If customers see something that appears to be out of place on the machine, notify the post office supervisor.