WALMART shoppers are being warned over an “invisible” self-checkout device that has left dozens of customers suddenly out of pocket.
Cops say thieves secretly fitted card skimmers onto checkout machines at a Walmart store in Erie, Pennsylvania, stealing bank details and PIN numbers from unsuspecting shoppers.
Sign up for The US Sun newsletter
Thank you!
Thieves secretly fitted card skimmers onto self-checkout machines at a Walmart store Credit: Getty
At least 80 customers reported missing cash, with investigators believing the scammers stole at least $38,000 Credit: Getty
At least 80 customers reported missing cash after using the payment terminals, with investigators saying more victims may still not realize they were targeted.
Police believe the scammers stole at least $38,000 through the scheme, mainly from Electronic Benefit Transfer cards.
The devices were allegedly planted on point-of-sale terminals at the Walmart on Elm Street in late 2024 and early 2025.
Investigators said the scam was especially difficult to spot because suspects allegedly removed Walmart security strips from checkout machines and attached them to the fake skimmers to make them appear genuine.
CARRY OFF
Walmart will no longer have self-checkout option under ‘landmark’ bill
LOOK FOR LOCAL
Your local Walmart could soon look different thanks to new ‘regional’ policy
Erie police Detective James Becker said the total amount stolen and number of victims is “likely much higher.”
Four people have now been charged over the alleged operation, reports Erie Times-News.
Remus Rosu, 30, and Louisa Unguru, 25, are accused in connection with a skimmer discovered in December 2024.
Unguru, Constantin P. Giurebe and Cosmin L. Cretu, 28, are accused over another device found in April 2025.
Each faces felony charges including use of a device to obtain encoded information and access device fraud , along with misdemeanor theft-related offenses.
According to Becker, three of the suspects were arrested in Orchard Park, New York, before being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
A fourth suspect is believed to be in the Chicago area.
Police said surveillance footage showed suspects placing skimming devices on checkout scanners and moving around self-checkout lanes.
Video allegedly captured one suspect removing a red security strip from a terminal before later returning with a skimmer fitted with the strip attached, Erie Times-News reported.
Becker said Walmart used the strips as a security measure to show when a machine had been tampered with.
In one case, employees noticed a strip was missing before reviewing surveillance footage and allegedly spotting two men installing a skimmer.
Police said one suspect was seen taking the strip around 30 minutes before the fake device was installed.
The suspects later returned to the store, shopped, and allegedly attached the skimmer to a checkout machine.
Thieves targeted the self-checkout machines at the Walmart superstore in Erie, Pennsylvania Credit: Google Maps