YOU'RE WATCHING A CRIME IN PROGRESS.

@cbsmornings

0 followers · usually 16.5K views a post

Views

747.4K

Likes

48.9K

Comments

1.3K

6.5K

SoundTikTok sound · original sound - cbsmornings

Why it worked

The video effectively uses a combination of real-world footage, expert interviews, and compelling statistics to highlight a significant and relatable crime. The narrative builds urgency by showcasing the ease of the crime, its devastating impact on victims, and the large financial scale of the problem, making it highly shareable.

Summary

This video exposes the rising threat of credit card skimming, where criminals install devices on payment terminals to steal financial information. The U.S. Secret Service reports that this crime costs over $1 billion annually and disproportionately affects recipients of government assistance programs like EBT, making recovery of stolen funds nearly impossible. The report highlights the sophisticated nature of these devices and the organized crime rings often behind them.

Structure

1Introduction to credit card skimming and its prevalence.
2Demonstration of a skimming device installation and its stealth.
3Explanation of how skimmers work and their potential profit.
4The impact on victims, including those relying on EBT.
5Statistics on federal investigations and the financial cost of skimming.
6The connection to organized crime and cross-border operations.

Product placement

U.S. Secret Service (agency that investigates financial crimes, appears as a watermark and is mentioned in the transcript) CBS News (news organization, appears as a watermark and is mentioned in the transcript) 7-Eleven (convenience store chain, appears as a logo on a shirt and on signage, and is mentioned in the transcript) BIC (lighter brand, appears on a display of lighters) Pure Life (water brand, appears on bottles of water) Pepsi (soda brand, appears on signage) US Bank (bank, appears on a digital display) Chime (financial technology company, appears on a digital display) Visa (payment network, appears on signage) Mastercard (payment network, appears on signage) Discover (payment network, appears on signage) Apple Pay (payment service, appears on signage) Google Pay (payment service, appears on signage) Samsung Pay (payment service, appears on signage) EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer, a government program for food assistance, appears on signage and is discussed in the transcript) Adidas (apparel brand, appears on a baseball cap) North Face (apparel brand, appears on a jacket)

Original caption

Many Americans may have encountered a predatory scam — and may not even know it. Scams involving credit card skimmers are on the rise, according to the U.S. Secret Service, costing consumers more than $1 billion each year. #crime #secretservice

More from @cbsmornings

On-screen text

YOU'RE WATCHING A CRIME IN PROGRESS. DID YOU SEE IT? IT TAKES LESS THAN TWO SECONDS FOR THIS SUSPECT TO INSTALL A SKIMMING DEVICE ON A CREDIT AND DEBIT CARD READER - A CRIME THE U.S. SECRET SERVICE SAYS IS ON THE RISE. HOW ARE YOU DOING, SIR? MY NAME IS VINCE PORTER, I WORK FOR SECRET SERVICE. AGENTS GAVE CBS NEWS EXCLUSIVE ACCESS AS THEY CONDUCTED A SKIMMER SWEEP AT HUNDREDS OF RETAILERS ACROSS LOS ANGELES. HOW MUCH MONEY DO THESE SCAMMERS GET FROM EACH OF THESE SKIMMERS? IT'S BELIEVED THEY CAN GET UP TO $1 MILLION OUT OF ONE OF THESE DEVICES. THEY SNAP PERFECTLY ON TOP OF CREDIT CARD TERMINALS AND ATMS, COLLECTING ACCOUNT INFORMATION AND PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION NUMBERS EVERY TIME SOMEONE SWIPES A CARD. WE GOT ONE. ANALYST VINCE PORTER SPOTTED THIS ONE RIGHT AWAY. BUT TAKE A CLOSE LOOK. IT IS VERY HARD TO TELL. IT'S EVEN GOT THE HOLOGRAPHIC SECURITY STICKER ON THERE. THIS IS ACTUALLY A CREDIT CARD SKIMMER HERE. AND IT'S PLACED SO SECURELY, AGENTS HAVE TO PRY IT OFF. PORTER SHOWED US THE SOPHISTICATED MINIATURE ELECTRONICS HIDDEN INSIDE, INCLUDING A WIRELESS TRANSMITTER. SO THE CRIMINALS DON'T EVEN HAVE TO COME TO THE STORE TO RETRIEVE IT. THEY CAN JUST COME OUTSIDE AND GET THE INFORMATION FROM IT. TRUE. AND YOU DON'T KNOW HOW LONG THIS HAS BEEN HERE? NO, NO, NOT AT ALL. SINCE 2024, THE SECRET SERVICE HAS REMOVED WHAT THEY SAY IS JUST A FRACTION OF THEM: 637 SKIMMERS FOUND SOURCE: U.S. SECRET SERVICE 637 SKIMMERS NATIONWIDE IN OPERATIONS LIKE THIS ONE. INVESTIGATORS SAY CRIMINALS OFTEN STEAL FOOD ASSISTANCE FUNDS THROUGH SO-CALLED EBT CARDS - TAXPAYER MONEY DISTRIBUTED TO NEEDY FAMILIES. RECOVERING THOSE STOLEN BENEFITS IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE GIVEN THE NUMBER OF AGENCIES INVOLVED. I CAN'T EVEN PAY MY RENT. MARY BOWEN HAD ALL OF HER BENEFITS STOLEN JUST LAST WEEK. MONEY SHE USES TO HELP FEED AND HOUSE HER SIX KIDS. LITERALLY, I'VE BEEN GETTING FOOD FROM MY FRIENDS BECAUSE I DIDN'T HAVE- THEY TOOK IT ALL FROM ME. THEY TOOK IT ALL FROM ME. A CBS NEWS INVESTIGATION FOUND MORE THAN 32 FEDERAL INVESTIGATIONS SOURCE: USDA OIG 30 ACTIVE FEDERAL PROBES SPANNING 15 STATES. THE SECRET SERVICE ESTIMATES THIS CRIME COSTS MORE THAN $1 BILLION EVERY YEAR. $1 BILLION EACH YEAR SOURCE: U.S. SECRET SERVICE THE SECRET SERVICE ESTIMATES THIS CRIME COSTS MORE THAN $1 BILLION EVERY YEAR. THE SECRET SERVICE TELLS US WHEN THEY SEE THESE SIGNS, THEY KNOW STORES LIKE THESE ARE A TARGET. THEY'VE GOT EBT WRITTEN ALL OVER THERE. IT DRAWS THE CUSTOMERS IN, BUT IT ALSO DRAWS CRIMINALS. THAT'S BECAUSE EVERY MONTH, A SINGLE CARD CAN RECEIVE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS FROM MULTIPLE FEDERAL AND STATE PROGRAMS. FOOD STAMPS, MAYBE SECTION 8 HOUSING PAYMENTS. ALL OF THAT GOES ON THE SAME CARD? CORRECT, YES, IT'S A ONE-STOP CRIME. AND THAT'S HOW THIS CRIME IMPACTS ALL AMERICANS. EVEN IF THEY'RE NOT STEALING YOUR MONEY, YOU MIGHT HAVE PAID FOR THIS WITH YOUR TAXES. EXACTLY, THERE'S NO DOUBT. THE SECRET SERVICE TELLS US ORGANIZED CRIME RINGS ARE OFTEN BEHIND THIS. SOME SCAMMERS EVEN CROSS THE BORDER ILLEGALLY. THEY TELL US THEY RECENTLY CAUGHT ONE TRYING TO GET INTO THE U.S. FROM CANADA ON A JET SKI.

Transcript

YOU'RE WATCHING A CRIME IN PROGRESS. DID YOU SEE IT? IT TAKES LESS THAN TWO SECONDS FOR THIS SUSPECT TO INSTALL A SKIMMING DEVICE ON A CREDIT AND DEBIT CARD READER - A CRIME THE U.S. SECRET SERVICE SAYS IS ON THE RISE. HOW ARE YOU DOING, SIR? MY NAME IS VINCE PORTER, I WORK FOR SECRET SERVICE. AGENTS GAVE CBS NEWS EXCLUSIVE ACCESS AS THEY CONDUCTED A SKIMMER SWEEP AT HUNDREDS OF RETAILERS ACROSS LOS ANGELES. HOW MUCH MONEY DO THESE SCAMMERS GET FROM EACH OF THESE SKIMMERS? IT'S BELIEVED THEY CAN GET UP TO $1 MILLION OUT OF ONE OF THESE DEVICES. THEY SNAP PERFECTLY ON TOP OF CREDIT CARD TERMINALS AND ATMS, COLLECTING ACCOUNT INFORMATION AND PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION NUMBERS EVERY TIME SOMEONE SWIPES A CARD. WE GOT ONE. ANALYST VINCE PORTER SPOTTED THIS ONE RIGHT AWAY. BUT TAKE A CLOSE LOOK. IT IS VERY HARD TO TELL. IT'S EVEN GOT THE HOLOGRAPHIC SECURITY STICKER ON THERE. THIS IS ACTUALLY A CREDIT CARD SKIMMER HERE. AND IT'S PLACED SO SECURELY, AGENTS HAVE TO PRY IT OFF. PORTER SHOWED US THE SOPHISTICATED MINIATURE ELECTRONICS HIDDEN INSIDE, INCLUDING A WIRELESS TRANSMITTER. SO THE CRIMINALS DON'T EVEN HAVE TO COME TO THE STORE TO RETRIEVE IT. THEY CAN JUST COME OUTSIDE AND GET THE INFORMATION FROM IT. TRUE. AND YOU DON'T KNOW HOW LONG THIS HAS BEEN HERE? NO, NO, NOT AT ALL. SINCE 2024, THE SECRET SERVICE HAS REMOVED WHAT THEY SAY IS JUST A FRACTION OF THEM: 637 SKIMMERS FOUND. 637 SKIMMERS NATIONWIDE IN OPERATIONS LIKE THIS ONE. INVESTIGATORS SAY CRIMINALS OFTEN STEAL FOOD ASSISTANCE FUNDS THROUGH SO-CALLED EBT CARDS - TAXPAYER MONEY DISTRIBUTED TO NEEDY FAMILIES. RECOVERING THOSE STOLEN BENEFITS IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE GIVEN THE NUMBER OF AGENCIES INVOLVED. I CAN'T EVEN PAY MY RENT. MARY BOWEN HAD ALL OF HER BENEFITS STOLEN JUST LAST WEEK. MONEY SHE USES TO HELP FEED AND HOUSE HER SIX KIDS. LITERALLY, I'VE BEEN GETTING FOOD FROM MY FRIENDS BECAUSE I DIDN'T HAVE- THEY TOOK IT ALL FROM ME. THEY TOOK IT ALL FROM ME. A CBS NEWS INVESTIGATION FOUND MORE THAN 30 ACTIVE FEDERAL PROBES SPANNING 15 STATES. THE SECRET SERVICE ESTIMATES THIS CRIME COSTS MORE THAN $1 BILLION EVERY YEAR. THE SECRET SERVICE ESTIMATES THIS CRIME COSTS MORE THAN $1 BILLION EVERY YEAR. THE SECRET SERVICE TELLS US WHEN THEY SEE THESE SIGNS, THEY KNOW STORES LIKE THESE ARE A TARGET. THEY'VE GOT EBT WRITTEN ALL OVER THERE. IT DRAWS THE CUSTOMERS IN, BUT IT ALSO DRAWS CRIMINALS. THAT'S BECAUSE EVERY MONTH, A SINGLE CARD CAN RECEIVE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS FROM MULTIPLE FEDERAL AND STATE PROGRAMS. FOOD STAMPS, MAYBE SECTION 8 HOUSING PAYMENTS. ALL OF THAT GOES ON THE SAME CARD? CORRECT, YES, IT'S A ONE-STOP CRIME. AND THAT'S HOW THIS CRIME IMPACTS ALL AMERICANS. EVEN IF THEY'RE NOT STEALING YOUR MONEY, YOU MIGHT HAVE PAID FOR THIS WITH YOUR TAXES. EXACTLY, THERE'S NO DOUBT. THE SECRET SERVICE TELLS US ORGANIZED CRIME RINGS ARE OFTEN BEHIND THIS. SOME SCAMMERS EVEN CROSS THE BORDER ILLEGALLY. THEY TELL US THEY RECENTLY CAUGHT ONE TRYING TO GET INTO THE U.S. FROM CANADA ON A JET SKI.