Local businesses in Carson, Hood River targets of card skimming

THE GORGE — Several retail stores from Carson to Hood River have been targets of scam attempts to steal the financial information of customers and local businesses. At least three businesses in Hood River have reported instances of skimmers being installed onto credit card scanners. Carson General Store has released video that shows the two female suspects at the checkout counter conduct their operation. As one suspect distracts the attendant, another implements a device that is able to read the user's credit card information or debit card PIN number.

In Hood River, Windmaster Market’s gas station, Walmart, and TreeBird Market have confirmed reports of their checkout scanners being altered. Rumors circulated that other businesses were targets as well, but Safeway and the Astro gas station have told Columbia Gorge News they have no reports of attempted skimming at their businesses.

At Windmaster, Managers Ravi Singh and Maria Salazar said a customer discovered the card skimming device on May 23. The customer asked if they have installed new card machines. That is when the attendant removed the device placed on top of the card machine. Singh said they are working with police, but do not know exactly when the suspects installed the device.

TreeBird Market owners Michel Kelly and Lauren Heumann said they believe the suspects targeted their store on May 16. Heumann said the suspects entered the store in the morning and asked for cigarettes. The organic food store does not, in fact, carry cigarettes. Heumann said she first noticed something off when the lights on the card machine weren’t working. The store was busy, so she didn’t take it into account at the time. On the morning of May 17, Carson General posted the video and screenshots of two potential suspects, and Kelly recognized them. He said they had returned to the store Friday morning, attempting to retrieve the card-skimming device. He recalls he was at the front of the store when they entered and asked to buy two baguettes and an additional bag.

“And then she asked for a bag. And that’s what actually made me look up and look at her because baguettes already come in bags,” Kelly said. They were reportedly able to remove the device from checkout stand one, but not checkout stand two.

That was when Kelly removed the top layer of the card machine to reveal a system that tracks the numbers typed into the pin pad when a user inserts their card into the bottom reader.

The police arrived and took the device back to the county sheriff’s office as evidence. Other devices are reportedly able to digitally access information via Bluetooth if they are within a certain distance of the card machine.

Heumann reported that on May 19, an older male approached the store after closing and was asking questions to a delivery man.

“The next morning — Monday morning — right at 10 a.m. Both of us are sitting out the front door talking to somebody and a man and a woman walk in,” Heumann said. She immediately recognized the woman and proceeded to call the cops. Heumann believed the two suspects noticed the big yellow sign warning of card scammers and that is when they left the store. She followed them out when the female suspect ran away on foot and the male suspect drove away, in a dark blue GMC Terrain with no license plates. Kelly estimates the police arrived “about a half hour later.”

A few customers to TreeBird Market have been affected and TreeBird is working with those customers to catch the perpetrators.

The Hood River Police Department and the Hood River County Sheriff’s office of investigations have not released any information to the public yet as it is an ongoing investigation.

This story will be updated when more information becomes available.