JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two men were arrested and accused of possession of skimmers after five devices were detected at three grocery stores in Jacksonville, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
A total of five skimmers were found on cash registers at three different Harveys Supermarket locations, police said.
Skimmers are devices attached to an electronic card reader and used to obtain data illegally.
Related: Spotting skimmers, porch pirates and military scams
According to police, the first skimmer was detected at the downtown location on Market Street on Nov. 1. However, Harveys’ staff notified police of the skimmer on Nov. 10. The delay in reporting was due to the store director being on vacation.
Southeastern Grocers, the parent company of Harveys, then sent an advisory to all stores in North Florida. The next day, four more skimmers were found. Two each were found at Harveys’ stores on Moncrief Road West and Edgewood Avenue West.
On Nov. 14, Armando Ilie, 22, was seen entering the Harveys store on Moncrief Road West and quickly left, getting into a waiting car, according to police.
Store security was able to get the tag number and notified JSO.
Officers then stopped the car. It was driven by Florin Grigorie, 40.
Ilie and Grigorie were arrested and are now facing five counts of possession of skimmers.
Both men are being held without bond.
JSO assisted in the investigation led by the North Florida Cyber Fraud Task Force and the Secret Service.
News4JAX spoke with two shoppers who were about to enter Harveys Supermarkets Friday morning. They said they were planning on paying with their debit card.
“I might be going to another store… I think I want to go to another store,” customers Angela and Mary said.
“If you could apply yourself to scam somebody out of some money. The same energy you use to do that, you can apply for a job,” Harveys shopper Angelique Matthews said.
The arrest reports do not specify how many customers might’ve been affected by the skimmers or how much money was lost.
“That’s ridiculous. People work hard for their money. It’s already hard out here. And for somebody to steal your money, oh no baby, we don’t play like that. We got children to feed got bills to pay,” Matthews said.
Southeastern Grocers said in a statement to News4JAX:
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), consumers lose $1 billion per year to skimmers — there are steps you can take to avoid becoming a victim.
- Try wiggling the machine to see if any parts feel loose. If it moves, that’s a bad sign.
- Try pulling up on the keypad to see if the device is sitting on top of the original keypad.
- If a piece of equipment looks damaged or crooked, that’s another red flag.