CLEVELAND — Sheffield Lake police are warning anyone who has recently shopped at Apples Market that they may be at risk of being a victim of fraudulent activity after a "skimmer type device" was found in the store.
The social media post from the Sheffield Lake Police Department on Thursday came one week after Lorain County Job and Family Services issued a similar warning, saying skimmers had targeted the Apples Market grocery store at Sheffield Center in Lorain from July 18 to July 24.
Card skimmers are devices disguised to look like regular card readers that criminals use to capture card data and PIN numbers from unwitting customers. Scammers can use the data from the skimmers to create counterfeit cards and make unauthorized purchases.
According to Sheffield Lake Police Chief Andrew Kory, the department in the middle of an "open investigation" into the alleged skimmers and no further information is immediately available.
Kory said in the social media post that anyone who has shopped at Apples Market and used a card should call their bank or credit card company and place a fraud alert on their credit card. Anyone who notices fraudulent activity on their account is encouraged to report it to police.
Lorain County Job and Family Services encouraged all EBT customers who shopped at the Lorain location to change their PIN using the ConnectEBT app or via the EBT hotline at (866) 386-3071.
